


By the Pale Moonlight

by Akristhekat



Category: Hakuouki, Shall We Date?: Demons' Bond
Genre: Blood, F/M, I sorta use some of the demons bond characters so that's tagged too, I'll be sure to add tags as I go along though, Inuyasha Au, Or Is he?, also kind of a 'what if chizuru was raised in yukimura village' AU, and 'what if yamazaki was a member of kimigiku's clan' AU, but I change a lot about the few that I do use that you can almost look at them like OCs, but the characters and powers fit the setting and story really well, depends on things, it's not a great game and I explain everything about the characters that you need to know, kinda ooc kaoru, long story short it's cool if you haven't played demons's bond, might change the rating in the future, set in the warring states period
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2020-07-11 15:20:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 60,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19930207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akristhekat/pseuds/Akristhekat
Summary: A story of action, adventure, romance, and yokai.Yukimura Chizuru has lived her life ignorant of the chaotic world outside of Yukimura village. However one day a pair of messengers from Yase come to deliver a mysterious but powerful item to the Yukimura clan, with a request from the Yase Princess herself.Not fully understanding her role in all of this, Chizuru is entrusted with the task of cleansing the Shikon Jewel of it's malevolent energy. Ultimately bringing her closer to Yamazaki Susumu, a human who's taken it as his mission to ensure that she and jewel are kept safe. Unaware of the future trials and dangers that this will bring upon them, and everything they've ever held dear.





	1. Unknown Power

Her breath came out in white plumes of smoke in the chilly winter air as Chizuru took in her surroundings.

A crystal clear pool of water stretched as far as the eye could see, reflecting the perfectly clear starry night above in a way that made the world seem as though it were made of stars. Though the water was icy from the cold winter evening, standing in it welcomed a familiar warmth throughout her body.

As she glanced downwards, her eyes caught sight of a pair of shimmering golden eyes reflecting back at her. Her hair white as snow, long enough to think that it should be floating gracefully behind her in the knee deep water, obscuring two long white horns protruding from her forehead. Horns that Chizuru reached up to feel for, only to find the smooth skin of her flat forehead hiding beneath raven black bangs.

Though Chizuru recognized the oni woman in her reflection as herself, she couldn’t help but think how her beautiful defined features felt off. How the power she saw in her counterpart’s sharp eyes didn’t suit her at all. How the small peaceful smile on her full red painted lips looked hollow and empty.

Then, from the full moon's reflection just a short distance in front of her, a small jewel rose from the water’s surface. It was tiny, and swirled with an opalescent pink energy that illuminated with a faint light. From it she could feel immense power calling out to her. 

Almost as if in a trance, she moved forward towards the small just above marble sized jewel. The mysterious object drawing her closer. Willing for her to reach out and claim it as her own.

However the moment her fingers met the surface of the object, it turned a sickly black. Instantly her hand reeled back. She tried to stumble away from the object, but it was too late. Inky black liquid poured from the jewel, rapidly pooling in the water below it.

Unable to escape the putrid black substance, Chizuru soon finds it surrounding her, drawing her deeper into the water as she feels it entering her body. Vile feelings of hatred, sorrow, resentment; started to consume her thoughts.

_No._

A sharp pain emanating from her forehead as two long black horns began to surface past her skin. Her raven colored hair fading to a brilliant white. She watched as her nails grew into long wicked claws. The urge to dig them into the living flesh of anything, anyone, flowed through her.

_Stop it!_

Red blood colored marks painted across her fair skin as she felt her muscles swell with power. She wanted to test her strength, she needed to demonstrate her power. To cut down the lives of her enemies, and make all fear her existence.

_No! This isn’t me!_

The world fell black, and the sound of an evil laughter filled the air. As she glanced down at her reflection in the water, she saw the oni woman’s face twisted into a depraved smile as she cackled with laughter full of madness. And with horror, Chizuru realized that she was mirroring the expression.

Chizuru woke with a start, a cold sweat across her skin. Taking a moment to collect herself, she found herself in her room. The pale morning light filtering through the shoji door cluing her in that the sun had probably only recently come out.

With a relieved sigh, she came to the conclusion that it was just a dream. 

She could still vividly recall the power of that mysterious jewel, as though it were calling out to her still… Blinking groggily for a moment, she thought on the matter. Then, the unnerving realization that she _did_ still feel its power hit her. It was faint and distant, but very much real and present.

It wasn’t very close to the village, but just the knowledge of the sickeningly dark feeling she got from it sent a chill down her spine. She couldn’t be sure what exactly this was, but she did know that it couldn’t be good.

She tried to distract herself from the thought of her dream, and the strange power’s presence by getting herself ready for the day. Getting dressed into her white winter kimono, patterned with an intricate design of pink flowers that transitioned into a myriad of gradually darker of reds, purples, and black towards the bottom of the fabric; and held by a pale golden colored obi which matched in color to the nagajuban* she wore under her kimono. 

She was combing out her black hair when the sound of her father’s voice provided her an excellent distraction “Chizuru. Are you awake?”

“Yes.” she answered with a smile on her face.

The shoji door slid open, revealing the familiar kind face and shaved head of her father, Yukimura Kodo. “Breakfast is ready, will you be joining us?” he asked in a warm tone

She nodded and stood up, putting on a pink jacket over her kimono, before following her father to the dinning hall. 

* * *

Yukimura village was home to the most powerful Oni clan in Eastern Japan, the Yukimura clan. It had been Chizuru’s home ever since she was young, and she hardly knew much about the world outside of the village.

The head of the Yukimura clan was Chizuru’s uncle, Yukimura Kazuya. He’d always been a stern and distant figure to her. Known to many as the “Eastern Blizzard”, Kazuya was attributed to being among one of the strongest yokai of Eastern Japan. With the Yukimura clan being the strongest and biggest of the Oni clans in the East, they also had many other smaller oni and yokai villages and clans allied under their protection in exchange for food and other resources. On most days, Kazuya was busy managing those relations, dealing with the issues of the village, or occasionally away for several days to meet with the other Oni clan leaders.

Normally Chizuru wouldn’t bother someone as busy as him with her worries, but despite herself she couldn’t shake this anxious feeling she had. Halfway through her breakfast she had thought that the mysterious power might be getting closer to the village. Now she was certain of it; whatever it was, it was approaching Yukimura village at a consistent pace. She couldn’t help but worry.

Initially she had asked her father about it. After a brief explanation of the situation, he advised her to tell her uncle everything she had told him. His tone serious and face grim.

Chizuru quietly followed behind Kodo as he lead her through the village. Painfully aware of the whispers and looks being shot her way from the villagers they passed by. No one would dare say anything to her face, especially not around any of her family members, but she knew the sorts of things they said about her and her brother when they thought she wasn’t listening. It was the main reason why she rarely left the castle that overlooked the village in the first place.

“Kazuya-sama.” Kodo called out as he walked ahead of her, catching the clan leader’s attention from the conversation he was having.

Kazuya’s icy blue eyes looked the two of them over, and immediately his brows furrowed at the sight of their grim expressions. He looked over to the man he was speaking to and dismissed him with a “We’ll talk about this later.” before walking over to them.

Her uncle was quite a bit taller than Chizuru, with ice cold bright blue eyes that felt as though they could freeze a man’s soul just by looking at him, and thick raven hair tied back into a long ponytail that reached down past his knees. Two swords hung from either side of his waist, and he was wearing his indigo colored armor over his white kimono and black hakama*, indicating that he’d probably been out.

Even without the knowledge of his strength, Yukimura Kazuya had always come across as someone that was intimidating to talk to. 

His ice cold gaze settled on Chizuru as he asked, “What’s wrong?” Kodo looking to her expectantly as well.

Feeling small under their shared gaze, she explained the dream that she had last night. 

“There was a jewel?” Kazuya asked, eyebrows knitted together in concerned interest.

“Yes. And when I touched it, it turned black. Then it started to... change me.” 

“How so?”

“I felt powerful, but I was full of so much hatred. It didn’t matter who, I just wanted to…” she shuddered at the memory of the feeling of bloodlust she had in her dream, and shook her head to try and rid herself of the thought. “I didn’t like it. It was like I became someone I couldn’t recognize.”

Kazuya frowned, thinking for a moment. Then asked “Was there anything else?”

With a hesitant nod, Chizuru continues “When I woke up, I could still the power from my dream. It wasn’t close by, but off in the distance.” She watches Kazuya’s eyes go wide in shock as she’s talking, but she continued, “It feels like it’s been getting closer and closer to the village all day.” 

She watches Kazuya’s body tense up. A look of horror crossing his face as his mind wrapped around what she just said, and for a moment his fist balled tightly. His eyes narrowed when he finally spoke, and he was uncharacteristically quiet as he asked in a serious tone, “Chizuru, how far away is it?”

“What?”

“You said it was getting closer! How far away is it now!?” He demanded, his voice a mixture of panic and anger. 

She hadn’t ever seen him look so scared before. Chizuru could feel her chest tighten with fear as she stuttered out “It-... I-I’m not-... I think it’s close?”

Kazuya spat out a quiet, “Damn it!” before he quickly turned and started barking orders to nearby villagers about clearing out the village. Then, Chizuru suddenly felt a jolt of intense power shoot through her. Like a brief but strong feeling of fear passed through her body in a split second. It didn’t feel like the type of fear one might feel for their own life is in danger, but more like that gut wrenching feeling of terror at the idea of losing something dear to you. Her body tensed at the feeling, making her head shoot in the direction of the power she’d been sensing all day.

_Something's wrong._

Before she even realized what she’s doing, her feet were already moving, and she’s running at her full speed towards the village’s southern entrance. In the back of her mind she hears her father calling out her name and Kazuya yelling “Wait, where are you going?!” but she doesn’t take the time to even register their words. 

Something’s wrong. She doesn’t know what, but she felt like she couldn’t just sit there and do nothing about it.

* * *

She ran and ran through the snow-covered forest, until her lungs burned and her legs ached for rest. The cold air stinging her throat as she panted, but still she didn’t stop. How long had she been running? She hadn’t been keeping track. All that mattered was that she needed to find whatever that power was coming from, and fast. 

Then she found it, or rather, she found them.

Coming to a halt, and hiding herself behind a tree, Chizuru’s eyes went wide at the sight of two figures surrounded by countless large three eyed white wolves.

There was oni woman wearing a purple and fuschia silk shozoku*, which contrasted elegantly with the smooth white hair of her true form. She moved with an impressive speed and lightness in her step as she nimbly dodged each attack, only to drive her straight edged shortsword* into a vital point of her attacker. 

Her companion was a brown haired man dressed in an all black shozoku. More or less he seemed to fight in the same way as his companion, keeping his body low to the ground and nimbly dodging attacks, only to carve his kusarigama* into the flesh of the attacker. Though his movements were notably slower than his female companions, they were laced with immense skill. Every move was calculated, and had a purpose.

The pair moved in an intricate dance of steal intertwined with well practiced coordination and trust, never once leaving each other’s blind spots. With each strike they made, a wolf would fall and vanish in a plume of smoke, only to be replaced by another in a seemingly endless supply of opponents.

Chizuru’s eyes caught sight of bright flecks of red in the pure white snow below them. Blood? Her stomach turned at the realization that the wolves they were fighting didn’t leave any trace behind after they were killed, which could only mean that one of these two had been injured. But they were moving too quickly for her to determine which one it was. 

Then, lavender eyes met chestnut as the brown haired man finally seemed to notice her watching. From this distance, his expression was impossible to make out under the black fukumen* mask and protective head guard that covered his mouth and brows. However, his voice was frantic as he yelled out, “Watch out!”

A little too late, Chizuru realized that she had been so focused on their battle that she’d completely forgotten to keep an eye on her own surroundings. Her head turned to see a large white wolf lunging in her direction. It’s three menacing red eyes brimming with bloodlust, and teeth bared, ready to sink into her soft flesh.

She barely had enough time to react, let alone try to evade, before a kunai buried itself deep in the beast’s chest. With a gasp, she stumbled backwards, falling back onto the cold snow covered forest floor. The creature hitting the ground in front of her with a quiet thump, and quickly began to fade away into a sickening black smoke. 

Her head shot up as the oni woman screamed, “Susumu! Behind you!” and just barely caught the sight of a wolf sinking its fangs into the shoulder of the man who’d just saved her. Pinning him to the ground as its large claws dug into his back, and eliciting a pained scream.

Chizuru felt that same feeling from before. A wave of power accompanied by the brief feeling of gut wrenching terror. Her chestnut eyes instantly being drawn to the oni woman as she swiftly carved her sword deep into the wolfs neck.

Whatever it was that Chizuru had been feeling all day, it was coming from this woman.

Once more she felt its power reach out. Anger. A wave of pure unadulterated rage temporarily hit her as more of the wolves began to encircle the now weakened pair. The oni woman hovered protectively over her injured companion. Her golden eyes burned with fiery hatred as she glared at her enemies, and reached down for something hidden in the folds of her uwagi vest. 

Chizuru could feel her stomach knot as she watched, and though she didn’t know much about whatever it was this woman was carrying with her, the malicious feeling she got from it told her that it was something that absolutely shouldn’t be used.

The frantic words “No don’t-!” barely escaped her lips before the snowfall around them suddenly picked up, and the icy wind turned violent. In an instant, a flash of white and indigo shot past her. Frozen and halved bodies of monstrous wolves hitting the ground and vanishing into black smoke as it passed by them to reach the center of the fray.

Placing himself by the side of the two travelers, Kazuya raised his duel blades, the Daitsuren and Shotsuren, into a defensive position. The snow filled air circled around him, sending his snow white locks flying around the four long horns protruding from his forehead. Even from her distance, Chizuru could feel the raw power of his true form he purposely sent out in waves. A silent warning shining in his brilliant golden eyes. 

The wolves growled at him for a moment, hunched over defensively, and clearly recognizing the threat that the Eastern Blizzard posed. Then, they turned and ran into the forest. Vanishing into the distance of the densely packed trees. With some of the stragglers simply fading into smoke towards the end of their retreat.

Once the tension in the air had finally dissolved, Kazuya sheathed his blades and shifted back into his human-like form. Muttering to himself, “It’s unusual for a Senbiki Okami to come out at this time of day.” before turning his attention to the pair he rescued.

The oni woman, having already shifted back into her other form, was kneeling beside her companion. “Susumu, are you okay?!” Her voice frantic with concern as she brought her hand up his chest in an attempt to support him as he tried to sit up.

“Y-yes. I believe so.” He responded weakly.

Chizuru rushed over to them as well, hearing the woman chiding him about being more careful. His head turned up towards her as she approached, and he asked, “Are you hurt?”

Chizuru shook her head, “N-no. I’m okay. But…” She grimaced at the sight of his blood soaked black clothing. Feeling guilty as she realized that he’d been hurt because he tried to protect her.

In response to her words, she could see his lips curl up into a smile under the thin black fabric of his mask, as his lavender eyes softened in relief.

But before he could say anything in response, Kazuya’s voice cut in, “You’re from the Suzumori clan, aren’t you? What are you doing here?”

The dark haired oni woman stood up, and answered with a polite bow, “Yes, we’ve met before. My name is Suzumori Kimigiku. I’m the current head of the Suzumori clan.”

Kazuya's breath hitched slightly at her words. His icy blue eyes going wide with shock. A great deal of sorrow flashing across his sharp features as his lips pursed, and his hands subtly pulled into tight fist. 

Kimigiku continued, “My companion here is Yamazaki Susumu, he’s a member of my clan as well. We’ve come here with dire information from Yase, as well as a request of the Yukimura clan from the Yase Princess herself.” She shot Chizuru a cautious glance, before adding, “Though, I believe it would be wise to discuss such matters elsewhere.” As though whatever it was she wanted to talk about, it wasn’t meant for anyone else’s ears but his.

Kazuya straightened himself, seemingly out of his state of shock, and furrowed his brows. “I see.”

Chizuru glanced back downwards towards Yamazaki, and found her eyes drawn to his hand, which was stained bright red with scarlet blood. From the shape of the wound she hadn’t noticed he had before now, she figured he’d likely been bitten by one of those wolves. Though she assumed that the injury was from before she’d arrived.

“Chizuru,” Kazuya’s harsh voice cut in, drawing her attention, “run ahead and tell Kodo we’re bringing back someone who’d been seriously injured. I want him treated immediately.”

Initially confused by his order, Chizuru looked back down to the injured man. Her chestnut eyes went wide as she realized that Yamazaki’s injuries weren’t healing closed like an oni’s should have by now. Why? Could that mean he was human? Though it would explain why he made no attempt to transform into the more powerful true form of an oni despite being so greatly outnumbered, it confused her as to why a human would be with a clan leader.

With a silent nod she turned to leave, but Kazuya added, “That being said, I do plan to talk to you later.” Making no attempt to hide the cold anger in his stern voice.

Chizuru inwardly flinched at his tone, and nodded back at him with a “R-right.” before running back towards the village.

* * *

Chizuru cringed as Kodo pressed the end of a burning hot iron rod onto one of the claw marks on Yamazaki’s back. Eliciting a muffled groan of pain from the injured man lying on his stomach on the futon below them, as he bit down onto the cloth he held in his mouth. His breath coming out in loud strained huffs. 

Luckily, his injuries hadn’t been life threatening. However, the two sets of large puncture wounds on Yamazaki’s right shoulder blade and upper middle back, from when the wolf had put it’s full body weight onto the claws it sank into his flesh, were deep. Kodo determined that it would be best to cauterize them once he had finished cleaning all of his injuries. Though Yamazaki had been given a pain killer, it still looked to be a fairly painful process for him. 

With every cry of pain he let out, Chizuru found it harder and harder to watch. Still, she felt partially responsible for his injuries, and so she offered to act as her father’s assistant as he treated Yamazaki’s wounds. In her mind, it was the least she could do to thank him for saving her.

“You’re doing well Yamazaki-kun.” Kodo’s calm voice reassured with a small smile, “Just one more, and then we’re done. I promise.” 

After a small nod from the injured man, he pressed the hot piece of iron into Yamazaki’s injured flesh once more. Fingers curling and gripping the white fabric below him into a tight enough fist to cause his knuckles to go white as he struggled to hold back a scream. 

Once her father was done, Chizuru began to spread a salve onto the burned skin. A small smile made its way to her lips as she watched the tense muscles of his toned back begin to relax at her touch, his breath starting to even out now that he knew that the worst was over. 

“Is that better?” she hesitantly brought herself to ask.

Yamazaki’s lavender eyes flicked up to her and he nodded. Bringing his hand up to remove the cloth from his mouth before he answered, “Yes. Thank you.” 

Her smile brightened at his affirmation, grateful that the coolness of the cream at least seemed to be soothing his pain. 

Kodo then asked Yamazaki to sit up so that they could wrap his bandages. To which the younger man obediently complied. 

Kodo began to wrap the bandages around his torso, while Chizuru gently lifted his injured hand and began to wrap the bandage roll around it. Her chestnut eyes daring a discreet glance at Yamazaki’s face. He was younger than she initially thought he’d be under his mask, probably not much older than herself. His lips were thin, as were his eyebrows, which didn’t reach the full length of his eyes. But by far the most notable feature of his face were his slender lavender eyes, which despite being sharp and piercing, seemed to have a warmth to them that she wasn’t used to seeing in those around her. Maybe it was the fact that he was human, but Chizuru couldn’t help but be curious about him.

“You’re a lucky man, Yamazaki-kun.” Kodo’s voice snapped Chizuru from her thoughts, forcing her full attention back onto her task. “All things considered, you are quite fortunate to not have been more seriously injured. Not to mention that since you are human, even these injuries could have been troublesome if they hadn’t been treated quickly.” 

“Yes, I thank you for that.” Yamazaki replied quietly, before glancing back towards Kodo, “Though I do find it odd that an oni doctor would be so well educated on human medical practices. I was under the impression that yokai rarely get sick, and it’s not as though you have regular need of treating injured given your healing abilities.”

Kodo’s brown eyes narrowed callously as he locked gazes with his patient, before focusing back on the task of wrapping his wounds. “Yes, well I find it best to be prepared just in case.” was the only answer he offered in a cold and distant voice. 

Though Chizuru didn’t say anything, she found his response odd. It wasn’t entirely a lie, but she knew that there was much more to it than that. Normally her father would be happy to have an excuse to go recount the story of why he had taken an interest in human medicine. It was a tale she had heard numerous times herself. It wasn’t like him to be so cold. Could it be that he didn’t trust Yamazaki because he was human, or was it something else?

Seeming to catch her curious gaze, Kodo gave her a warm smile and asked, “Chizuru, it looks as though we’re done here. Would you help me clean all this up?”

With a quick nod she responded, “Yes, of course, Father.” and started gathering her father’s various medical supplies. 

Once they had cleared the room of the supplies they brought with them, Chizuru and Kodo both made their way to the door. Kodo simply saying “Now then, if you don’t need anything else we’ll be taking our leave. Please try and get some rest, and don’t be afraid to call for me if you need anything, Yamazaki-kun.” 

And with a polite bow Chizuru left the room after her father. Only realizing afterwards with a hint of embarrassment that with how fast everything had happened, she hadn’t gotten a chance to properly thank Yamazaki for saving her earlier.

She was considering running back to do so when Kodo’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Chizuru, you ought to be wary of that man.” He said in an icy tone, once they were out of earshot from Yamazaki’s room.

She blinked in surprise, and frowned slightly as she asked, “Why?”

“That weapon of his is made of yokai bones. It is the same type of weapon that Yokai Taijiya* use.” Kodo explained, his expression going dark as his lips pulled into a frown “Even his name, Yamazaki, is the name of a prominent family from a village of Yokai Taijiya that I believed to have been wiped out eight years ago. I don’t know how or why a survivor might be affiliated with the Suzumori clan, but you would be wise to stay away from him.” 

With a frown, Chizuru could feel a hint of anger starting to bubble in her chest, and shot back, “He saved my life, father. I don’t think he’s a bad person.” True she may not know what a Yokai Taijiya is, but she could still vividly recall the look of relief in his eyes when he learned she hadn’t been hurt, despite his own injuries. It was hard for her to imagine that someone who would save a stranger without regards to their own safety could be a bad person.

Kodo’s eyes went wide for a second, clearly surprised by her defensive tone. Then his brows knitted with sympathy as he reached for her shoulder. “My child, the world outside of our village is much harsher than you realize.” He let out a sigh and shook his head, “You cannot place your trust in people so easily, especially when it comes to humans. It will only lead to you getting hurt, just as it did for your mother.”

Chizuru’s chest tightened at the end of his sentence. Unable to say anything back, she simply tightened her grip on the supplies she was carrying and looked downwards. “I... I understand.” she finally conceded in defeated tone. Though she didn’t agree with him, she did understand where he was coming from, and found it difficult to argue on such a personal topic.

Seemingly satisfied with her response, Kodo smiled kindly, and took his medical supplies from her arms. “Now, now, dear. How about you go inform Kazuya-sama and Suzumori-san of Yamazaki-kun’s condition?” he suggested, “I’m sure they’re quite worried.”

She glanced up at him, and gave a small silent nod, before he nodded back and continued down the hallway.

Chizuru didn’t have any trouble finding her uncle and their visitor. Even without that strange power Kimigiku had with her constantly signaling out its presence to Chizuru, she knew the layout of the castle well and which rooms Kazuya would be likely to choose in order to have a private conversation.

She approached the room that she was certain that they were in, and as she was about to make her presence known she heard Kimigiku’s voice say, “The Princess has asked that once the jewel is purified, it be returned to Yase immediately.”

A contemplative silence filled the air for a moment, before Kazuya finally answered, “That’s no problem. Yase village is likely the safest place to keep it in the first place. I just hope that the Yase Princess understands the danger she’s putting not just herself, but the people of her village in by choosing to house it there.”

Realizing that they were still having their conversation, Chizuru decided it might be best to come back later. As she was moving to leave, she hears Kazuya’s sharp and hostile voice call out, “Who’s there?”

Practically jumping out of her skin at his tone, Chizuru frantically tried to apologize, “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to listen in. I can come back later if you’d like.”

She could hear her uncle sigh from the other side of the shoji door, before he said in a more neutral tone, “No, we’re almost done here anyway. Tell us what you came here for, Chizuru.”

With a hesitant nod, Chizuru moved to sit back down in a seiza before opening the sliding door with a timid “Excuse me.” before she explained, “Father asked me to let you know that he’s finished treating Yamazaki-san’s wounds.”

Kimigiku’s attention perked at the mention of her companion, and with a hint of concern in her voice she asked “How is he?”

Chizuru offered the woman a smile, and assured, “His wounds weren’t that deep, so his life isn’t in danger, but he will need some time before they are completely healed.”

She watched as Kimigiku’s body seemed to relax in relief at her statement, as though she’d been overwrought with concern ever since leaving Yamazaki in their care. A relieved smile making its way to her face before she asked, “Would it be okay for me to go speak with him?”

“Yes,” Chizuru answered with a nod. “Father told him to rest, but so long as he hasn’t fallen asleep he should be well enough for you to see him.”

The older woman nodded, and looked to Kazuya before she asked “Is there anything else you would like to discuss?”

He in turn shook his head, and answered “No, I think that’s all. Feel free to dismiss yourself as you like.”

She nodded. Standing up and giving a polite, “Well, if you’ll excuse me.” before making her way to the door.

Now that she had the chance to look at her more closely, Chizuru couldn’t help but be a little stunned by Kimigiku’s beauty. Her long hair, the bangs of which were pulled back with a fuschia hair accessory, elegantly flowed down her back like a smooth waterfall of midnight black until it tapered into a single point at the bottom, where she tied it together with a length of fuschia silk. And not a single strand of hair was out of place, despite being freshly out of a fight. Her face was defined with sharp feminine features. Beautiful full red lips that she was almost inclined to think were natural, not painted. Her stunning sharp violet eyes sparkled like freshly cut amethyst, and were accented by a beauty mark under her right eye.

Even by oni standards, she was exceptionally gorgeous.

“Chizuru,” Kazuya’s icy tone made her jump, taking her attention away of Kimigiku’s figure as she passed by her. When Chizuru met his gaze, his icy blue eyes were filled with a cold anger. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

With a gulp, she gave a nervous nod and responded, “R-right.” before moving to enter the room.

As she entered, Kazuya closed a small box that had been sitting between him and his guest, and brought it to his side. With a frown Chizuru realized that the strange power she’d been sensing all day was inside of that box.

“What were you thinking?!” his harsh tone making her flinch and avert her gaze to the floor. “Not only did you leave the village, you knowingly ran straight into a dangerous situation, unarmed _and_ during the day. What exactly were you planning on doing when you got there?”

“I’m sorry.” was the only thing she could offer. Not letting herself meet his gaze out of shame. She knew that she’d broken one of his bigger rules by leaving the village without permission, and she made no attempt to excuse her actions since they ended up getting someone hurt in trying to protect her. She _should_ have known better.

“I didn’t ask for an apology, Chizuru, I want an explanation.” His voice was unwavering, but less harsh this time.

She was quiet for a moment, trying to think about it. Why _did_ she run into the forest earlier? He was right, she hadn’t been in any position to have done anything but be a burden in that situation, but she still ran in without any hesitation. Why? “I’m not sure…” she finally answered, “I could just tell that something was wrong. I felt it so strongly, it felt like someone I really cared about was going to be killed. And before I realized it, I was running to try and stop that from happening.”

Kazuya frowned, and his brows knitted in confusion as he tried to understand what she was saying.

Feeling her heart clench in guilt, Chizuru bowed and said, “I’m very sorry for how I acted. I promise I won’t do it again.”

Kazuya went silent, and she could feel his icy gaze looking her over. He then let out a soft sigh, and when he spoke, it was much warmer than she expected. “You’re just like her, you know.” His voice reminiscent, as if recalling a fond memory. Confused by his wording, Chizuru looked up curiously to see a troubled smile on his face. “You’re far too reckless for your own good.”

Before she could ask what he was talking about, he shook his head, a serious expression returning to his face. “Chizuru, when you said a powerful jewel full of dark power was approaching the village, I thought that it meant Shuten-douji was finally coming to destroy our clan.”

Chizuru could feel her face pale at the mention of that vile name. Even she, who knew very little about the world outside of Yukimura village, had heard of the rogue Oni, Shuten-douji and his violent rampage through the country. There were all kinds of rumors that followed that name, but the popular theory was that he was the vengeful spirit of an oni by the same name that had been killed centuries ago, returned from the dead to seek revenge on the descendants of those responsible for his death. Very little was known about the oni, but his actions on how he’d brutally slaughtered every human, yokai, and daiyokai* that dared to stand in his way, and how many oni clans and villages he had single handedly destroyed over the years; were proof to his existence. She doubted there was a single person in the country, human or yokai, who didn’t fear that they may one day come to face this horrible monster.

“That beast…” he muttered, “If it really had been him, I doubt I could have protected you.” he chuckled a little to himself, but she couldn’t sense any joy in the sound. “Though, I suppose if it hadn’t been for the Suzumori kid, I probably wouldn’t have been able to protect you from that yokai from earlier either.”

Kazuya gave Chizuru a troubled smile. His voice tender as he asked, “How could I ever face Minako again if I let anything happen to the two of you?” 

Her heart dropped at the mention of her mother’s name, and she was reminded of her conversation with her father from before. She knew that Kazuya loved his sister more than anything, and now that she was gone, all he had left of her were the twin children she left behind. Even if he did come across as strict sometimes, Chizuru knew he really did care about protecting her. Which only made her feel more guilty about her actions.

“I understand. I promise I’ll be more careful from now on.” She promised.

He just smiled at her and nodded, before saying. “Right. I’ll be sure to hold you to that.”

He then turned his attention to the small closed box at his side. Moving it so that it sat between them as he said, “Now then, there’s something else I wanted to discuss with you.” Kazuya opened the small box, to reveal a small jewel swirling with sinister black energy. It was just a bit larger than a marble, and radiated with a vile malevolent aura that sent a feeling of dread to Chizuru’s core. “Tell me, is this what that power you mentioned before was coming from?” He asked in a serious tone.

Chizuru gave a small nod, swallowing nervously her eyes not leaving the object as she answered, “Yes. It’s just like the jewel from my dream.” She then looked up at him and asked “What exactly is it?”

“This is the Shikon jewel.” He explained, eyebrows furrowing in seriousness, “It is a powerful item capable of granting incredible strength and abilities to any yokai who wields it. Eight years ago it was stolen by an Oni who went by the name Shuten-douji.” his face darkened as he continued, “With the incredible strength granted to him by the jewel’s power, he set out to wreak havoc across Japan in an unstoppable path of destruction. He didn’t seem to discriminate when it came to cutting down anyone who stood in his way; human or yokai, not even some of the more powerful daiyokai stood a chance against him. However, he did seem to have a particular hatred for the other oni, and over the past eight years he’s single-handedly destroyed over half of the more influential oni clans.”

Chizuru grimaced at the thought of such a small item being the cause of so much devastation. Though she’d heard many rumors about Shuten-douji, to hear them being confirmed by her uncle in such a way really made it set in how dangerous a threat he was.

But then a realization hit her, and she looked up and asked, “So if the jewel is here, then what happened to Shuten-douji?”

“He’s dead.” he answered in a straight tone, “He tried to attack the Kazama clan, the strongest Oni clan of the west. However, the Suzumori caught onto his plans through their information network, and so the Yase were able to organize the other Western clans together to fight him head on.” his lips pursed, and for a second Kazuya’s eyes filled with an intense sorrow, before he finished, “In the end, Shuten-douji was defeated... However all of the clan leaders that participated in the battle, as well as the previous Yase Princess, ultimately all lost their lives.” 

Though it was a subtle motion, Chizuru could see his hands gripping the fabric of his black hakama into a tight fist, trembling slightly. This knowledge must have been devastating for him to hear when he was likely told this same story by Kimigiku earlier. And without even being given the time to properly come to terms with it, Chizuru could tell it was hurting him to recount it all to her now.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” She quietly offered. Though it wasn’t something he’d ever spoken with her about, he clearly respected his fellow oni clan leaders, and likely thought of at least a few of them as good friends. Or, at least, that’s the impression she was getting from his mournful expression in this moment.

Kazuya gave her a weak lamenting smile, and said in a reminiscent tone, “We may not have always agreed on everything, but I’ve always respected them as leaders. I just…” he hesitated, then closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Anyway, after the battle had concluded, the Yase managed to retrieve the Shikon Jewel from Shuten-douji’s body. However, eight long years of being used to fulfill Shuten-douji’s vicious cycle of hatred and destruction corrupted it with a powerful malevolent energy. Normally this wouldn’t be much of a problem, but yokai don’t have the spiritual energy to purify it like a human miko and priest could, and of course that goes for oni as well.” he sighed, “However, the Yase Princess doesn’t trust humans to be able to protect it. Which is why it was brought to the Yukimura clan.”

“Because we have a way to purify it?” Chizuru asked.

“Cleanse, not purify.” He corrected, “But yes, I’m certain that the water from our sacred spring should be capable of cleansing the malevolence from the jewel.”

Chizuru stiffened at the mention of the Yukimura sacred spring. It was something every member of their clan knew about, and they all knew that it was something they were supposed to protect, but the true nature of the spring was a closely guarded secret that each head of the Yukimura clan only passed on to their successor. It wasn’t a subject that he would bring up lightly. Not only that, but she realized a lot of this was information that he would normally keep from her as something she didn’t need to know about. 

“Uncle Kazuya,” she asked, looking him directly in the eyes, “why are you telling me all of this?”

“Because I’m giving you the task of cleansing the Shikon Jewel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nagajuban- A long under-kimono worn by both men and women beneath the main outer garment. Only the collar edge of the nagajuban shows from beneath the outer kimono. They are often as beautifully ornate and patterned as the outer kimono
> 
> Hakama- A divided or undivided skirt, which resembles a wide pair of pants.
> 
> Shozoku- the name given to what many believe was the traditional ninja clothing
> 
> Ninja sword (Kimigiku's sword)- unlike samurai swords, ninja swords were not curved, and were 540 mm (21 inches) in length. They were intended for stabbing, not slashing, and were most suited for close quarters combat. They also had a long length of cord wrapped around the sword's sheath, which had a number of uses as well.
> 
> Kusarigama- A sickle with a chain attached to it, with a weight attached to the end of the chain. The chain was usually about 1000-4000 mm (3 ft-13 ft) in length. A weapon suited for temporarily restraining an enemy or their weapon before delivering the final blow.
> 
> Zukin and fukumen- two pieces of cloth thought to be all black that hid a ninja's identaty. With the zukin hood covering the head, and the fukumen mask covering the ninja’s face. (fun fact! Yamazaki does not were a zukin hood in game, but his original concept art did depict him with one)
> 
> Yokai Taijiya- Demon slayer.
> 
> Daiyokai- Greater yokai. Inuyasha's setting makes it a bit confusing on what defines a daiyokai, other than strength. But most seem to be called "[animal]-daiyokai" in their species on the wiki, so I'm inclined to think that they are very large and powerful animal yokai capable of hiding their true forms and looking more human-like?
> 
> \---
> 
> So I'm just going to say this in advance, it was probably a mistake to start this right before Fire Emblem Three Houses comes out.
> 
> FE is my favorite series, and I've been hyped for this game since it was officially announced in June of 2018. So posting the first chapter of this 4 days before the game's release probably isn't very smart of me.
> 
> That being said I was proud of how it turned out, and I really enjoy where my outline is going so far, so I still wanted to post it.
> 
> And hopefully if there's enough people interested in where the story is going, it can pull me back once I've gotten my fill of the three 80+ hour play throughs of 3H I'm going to be playing.
> 
> Because i do really like this story, and Yamachi is a really good ship that deserves at least one decent long fic to it's name.


	2. Friendly Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get some substantial YamaChi interaction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone returning to the story might noticed I changed the name from "By the Moonlight", to "By the Pale Moonlight". Not a huge difference, but I disliked how similar the name was to another Hakuoki/Inuyasha fic (that looks good but I don't want to look like I'm copying, despite our stories and concepts being vastly different)
> 
> I'm also considering the name "Fire and Moonlight", but for now I'm still slightly more fond of the original name.

Yamazaki stared at the wooden slatted ceiling in frustration. A small sigh managing to escape his lips as he reflected on the events of the day and tried to think about what he could have done differently to have avoided this situation.

He didn’t regret the action of saving the Yukimura girl. No, even if her oni pride might later force her to resent being rescued by a human, he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if she’d been injured, or even killed, while he had the ability to prevent it. If his wounds were the price he had to pay to preserve that side of him, so be it.

However, he understood that his wounds were the fault of his own negligence. If he had been less reckless, or just slightly more observant, he could have probably avoided this outcome. That frustrated him. 

Unfortunately, his injury would take time to heal, and it would be a while before he’ll be fit to travel, let alone fight again. That put strain on Kimigiku’s plan to leave for Yase immediately after delivering the jewel to the Yukimura. 

That left two options; either they stay in Yukimura village until his wounds are healed, or Kimigiku leaves him behind return to Yase alone. Neither option left a pleasant taste in his mouth. While he understood her uneasiness with the idea of being away from the Yase Princess for so long, he also didn’t like the idea of her traveling alone. The Suzumori clan had already recently lost their previous leader, and if anything were to happen to her successor, he knew he would feel guilty for not being by her side. 

Truth being told, he hated that he had put Kimigiku in this situation in the first place. Especially after all that she and her mother had done for him. He was the one who asked to be put on this mission in the first place, and all he’s done so far was be a burden to the one who had agreed to bring him along. He hadn’t considered the fact that being human would hinder their travel time. While he considered his stamina and speed to be impressive for human standards due to his training, he understood that neither held a candle to what an Oni could manage.

And while this hadn’t been the first yokai they fended off from trying to steal the jewel on their long journey between Yase village and Yukimura. He at least had quietly prided himself in his skill in either killing or managing to drive each attacker away without holding her back. It was only here, practically at the entrance of Yukimura village, where Yamazaki had gotten seriously injured.

If only he’d realized they were being surrounded. If only he’d noticed that girl sooner. If only he hadn’t panicked and left his blind spot open for attack. He felt his fist tighten as a slight self directed anger bubbled inside of him at the thought. If only he hadn’t been so careless!

“Susumu?” The familiar sound of Kimigiku’s voice from the other side of the shoji door pulled him from his thoughts. “May I come in?”

Carefully, as to not aggravate his wounds, he pulled himself into a sitting position and answered, “Yes, please do.”

With that the door slid open, and she let herself in. “How are you feeling?” She asked.

“Well, the pain isn’t as bad as it was earlier, and my life doesn’t seem to be in any danger according to the Yukimura doctor.” He responded, and offered a weak troubled smile as he added in an almost self deprecating tone, “Though I regret to say that I won’t be in any condition to travel again anytime soon.” 

Kimigiku frowned at his statement for a moment as she sat in front of him, before her body relaxed and she shook her head as she told him in a gentle tone, “Please don’t worry yourself about that. For now, you should just focus on getting better.” 

Her expression then went more serious as she explained, “The Yukimura have agreed to take the jewel. Seeing as my task is done here, I plan to return to Yase immediately.” She offered him a small reassuring smile as she added, “But there’s no need to worry, I’ve already spoken with the head of the Yukimura clan on the matter. He understands your situation, and has agreed to let you stay here for as long as you need to recover.”

Though he shouldn’t be surprised about her decision on the matter, Yamazaki tried his best to ignore the selfish prick of pain he felt at how quickly she had decided to leave him behind. In the end, regardless of how endeared to him she had become over the years, his well being was secondary to that of the Princess. That was especially true now that she had fully embraced her role as the head of the Suzumori clan. He could never ask her to put him over her duty.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he simply nodded and asked, “Understood. And am I expected to return to Yase once my wounds have healed, or with the jewel once it’s been purified?”

Kimigiku’s lips pursed at his question, and her eyes closed as she thought for a moment. When she finally met his gaze and spoke, her voice was solemn. “I think it would be best if you didn’t return to Yase.” 

His eyes went wide in sock at her statement, and he could feel the weight of her words cut though his heart like a dagger. “I… I don’t understand…” He muttered. Desperately searching her amethyst eyes for any sign of incenserity, any indication that she was joking, or trying to tease him in some way. However, her serious gaze betrayed nothing of the sort.

“While both the Princess and myself acknowledge you as a member of the Suzumori clan, you’re still human.” Her resolute tone and expression didn’t waver as she continued, “You should be with other humans.”

He opened his mouth to argue with her, but promptly closed it. As much as he wanted to say that she was wrong. To insist that it was unfair of her to decide that on her own. To beg her not to force him to leave the only place he knew how to call home… She… had a point… 

He loathed to admit it, but he knew that as a human, he would never truly belong with the oni of Yase village. The lives of humans and yokai should be separate, he was an exception… a temporary one at that. It was only on the kindness of the previous head of the Suzumori clan, Kimigiku’s mother, that he was allowed to call such a place his home. And now that both she and Shuten-doiji were dead, it’s not even as though he had a _reason_ to stay with them any longer. 

Not to mention that he could tell that the Yukimura doctor already seemed to detest him, not unlike many from Yase did. Perhaps it was a bad sign that he had grown used to being disliked by those around him, and even come to expect it at this point. 

However, when he met her gaze, he spoke with confidence as he explained, “I have yet to repay the kindness that the Yase and Suzumori have shown me. I ask that you at least allow me to stay until after I’ve repaid my debt.” 

It may be an excuse, but it’s not as though it was a lie either.

“Susumu…” Kimigiku’s amethyst eyes narrowed and her lips pulled into a frown, “We both know this isn’t the first time that something like this has happened. If you continue to work as a member of the Suzumori, you’ll only be further exposed to danger. Next time you might not be so lucky.” She sighed and added in a softer tone, “As a human, you shouldn’t have to risk your life for oni.”

“I understand, but my mind is made.” he responded firmly, before adding with a small wry smile, “After all, it was your mother who taught me that Oni always repay their debts. At least give me the opportunity to honor her memory by repaying mine.”

He watched her eyes go wide for a moment, before she let out another sigh and conceded. “Very well.” Clearly not willing to argue with him any further. “Your mission is to make sure that the Shikon Jewel safely makes its way back to Yase.”

“Understoo-”

“However,” she interrupted, “you are not to push yourself if your injuries haven’t healed by then. Your first priority is to focus on getting better. Do I make myself clear?” 

He couldn’t help but let out an amused huff before he answered, “Crystal.” A small smile making its way to his lips at her obvious concern. “Honestly, you’re just as protective as your mother.”

“And you’re just as stubborn.” She retorted with a smirk.

“Perhaps.” He put no effort into hiding his own self satisfied smile. Then added in a softer tone, “You don’t need to worry about me, Kimigiku-san. I swear I won’t do anything reckless while my body is recovering.”

She smiled and nodded at him, “Good, I plan to hold you to your word on that.” Then, seemingly satisfied, she stood up and moved towards the door.

Then, she paused, and turned to look at him. Her gaze serious as she asked, “Please, at least consider what I said before.”

He could feel the hint of light hearted banter in their conversation pitter out with her words, and was replaced by an uncomfortable silence. Unable to meet her gaze, he glanced down at his futon.

Unsatisfied with his silence, Kimigiku frowned and started in a slightly more authoritative tone, “Susumu-”

“I will.” He interrupted, still unwilling to look her in the eye and gripping the fabric of his futon. “I’ll… I’ll think about it…”

She was quiet for a moment, before she responded a little solemnly, “Very well.” and moved to leave.

Before she could slide the shoji door closed, he looked up and quickly parted, “Please be safe in your travels, Kimigiku-san.”

She blinked at him, her amethyst eyes widening slightly. Before her expression melted into a soft smile and she nodded.

Then her lips moved into that one specific graceful smirk that she always wore when she wanted to tease him, and she playfully asked, “Don’t you mean, ‘Kiku-nee’?” 

His cheeks flared up at the memory that name brought up, and Yamazaki shot back, “W-Would you please just forget about that already?!” 

His flustered outburst only managed to elicit a chuckle from the woman before she said with an innocent closed eye smile, “Take care of yourself, Susumu.” and made her way down the hall away from his room. 

Only once her presence was finally gone, did Yamazaki finally feel the weight of the realization that his only real ally was leaving him behind finally settling in. 

* * *

“Yamazaki-san?”

A soft feminine voice stirred Yamazaki from his rest, making him blink groggily and look towards the shoji door. From the orange light filtering around the shadow of a person on the other side of the thin paper door, he could tell that it was fairly late in the day. Making him realize he must have dozed off at some point.

“Are you awake?” asked the stranger on the other side of the door in a quieter, uncertain voice.

“Yes.” He answered. Forcing himself to sit up, and wincing at the sharp pain it brought to the wounds on his back. The pain medicine must have worn off, he realized. “What is it?”

“O-oh! I’ve brought your dinner.” She nervously explained, before asking, “May I come in?” 

“Yes.”

With his affirmation, the shoji door slid open, revealing the face of the doctor's daughter from before. The same girl he had saved earlier in the forest. With her was a tray of food, as well as some bandages and what looked to be other supplies for cleaning wounds.

She avoided his gaze as she entered the room, her chestnut eyes instead choosing to focus pointedly at the tray of food in her hands. Then, she timidly glanced up as she set the tray down in front of him and asked, “How are your injuries feeling?

“For the most part they haven’t bothered me much.” he answered plainly, “Though I wonder if the pain medicine your father gave me might have made me tired. I feel as though I’ve slept the day away.”

She blinked at him, then offered a small smile before suggesting, “Maybe, but your body might just need the rest. You are injured after all, not to mention I’m sure you must be tired after your long journey.”

“You may have a point.” he admitted.

Even if Kimigiku had adjusted her pace to accommodate his own human limitations, the journey had been long and difficult on him. The Suzumori were accustomed to traveling long distances and acting as messengers to the other Oni clans, and though he liked to think that he could handle such a task as well… He was honestly exhausted. Truth being told, he doubted how well he would have taken the return trip to Yase if he had been able to make it.

She nodded at him, then turned her attention to the medical supplies on the tray and asked, “Anyway, would it be okay for me to change your bandages?”

He gave a simple nod in affirmation, and she quickly shifted to sit closer to him. Her touch was gentle as she lifted his injured left hand and carefully began to unwrap the bandages she herself had wrapped earlier in the day. Her motions felt timid and uncertain, and he wondered if he made her nervous or if she just wasn’t used to doing this.

Though the skin around the injury on his hand still looked fairly red, the wound itself had long since clotted and stopped bleeding. The start of painful dark purple bruising was starting to show, but it didn’t look to be infected. He just hoped that this wound wouldn’t impact the way he held his weapon in the future, as his kusarigama was a weapon that required the use of both hands. 

The girl at his side released his hand for a moment, and moved to poor some liquid that smelled strongly like sake onto a cloth. She warned as she took his hand once more, “This might sting a little.” before gently dabbing the cloth against his tender flesh. The painful sting that immediately followed making him wince slightly.

She was quiet as she focused on her task of cleaning his hand. It was as she set to work wrapping his hand back up with the clean bandages she’d brought in, that she quietly said “I wanted to thank you… For saving me earlier, I mean.” He glanced up, to see that her chestnut eyes were focused diligently on her task. But once she finished, she looked up at him and smiled, “Everything happened so quickly that I didn’t get the chance to say it earlier, but thank you.” Ending her sentence with a bow.

Yamazaki blinked in surprise. She sounded… genuine…? Oni tended to be incredibly prideful, especially when it came to their feeling of superiority over humans and most other yokai. It was usually because of their pride that they would never let a debt go unpaid, rarely were their motivations fueled by genuine gratitude. This was… odd… to say the least. Especially since he remembered being told that aside from the current head of their clan, and his eccentric late sister, most of the Yukimura were not very fond of humans.

“Think nothing of it.” He responded, forcing her to glance up at him. “I’m just grateful that you were unharmed.” 

She blinked at him, a look of similar surprise crossing her features that resembled his own a moment before. Then her lips pulled into a smile and she made a snort that nearly resembled a laugh as her hand moved to cover her mouth. He raised an eyebrow, inclined to ask her what she found so funny, but before he could she said “S-sorry,” gazing up at him, her chestnut eyes filled with such warmth and joy that he was taken aback a little bit. “It’s just… nobody’s ever—… I didn’t expect you to say something like that.” she finally admitted once she found her words.

At first he’d be inclined to think that her statement was in reference to her being an oni, who would heal much faster from an injury than he could as a human. However, from the look of her genuine smile, and that warm ray of joy shimmering in her chestnut eyes, he felt that might not be the case. 

Was this girl really an oni?

“If you don’t mind my asking,” he started, “why were you in the forest in the first place?”

She glanced away awkwardly at his question, and she laughed awkwardly. “I really shouldn’t have been.” She answered, “I’m not actually allowed to leave the village, especially not alone. My uncle was pretty mad at me when I did.”

Uncle? Was she talking about Yukimura Kazuya, or someone else? And if she was, did that mean that she was a member of the head family of the Yukimura clan? Though it probably shouldn’t have surprised him, seeing as her father had the Yukimura name, her mannerisms and the way she spoke didn’t give the impression of someone who would be of high status within a large clan like hers. Though, he supposed she didn’t dress like a meer castle servant either.

“Then why did you...?” he asked.

She bit her lip as she avoided his gaze, her hand moving up to grip a lump he hadn’t noticed was hidden under the collar of her kimono until now. Then very awkwardly she stated, “I-I need to finish changing your bandages.” as a poor attempt to change the subject.

He sighed softly as she moved behind him and started to unwrap the bandages her father had applied earlier. “If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.” he told her in a flat tone.

“It’s not that…” she responded a little quieter, “I… just don’t know if I’m allowed to tell anyone about it.”

“I understand." As a member of the Suzumori clan, it’s not as though he didn't have secrets of his own that he was forbidden to speak of. "I won’t pry any further.”

Even if her secrecy did make him even more curious. 

She paused for a second in her movements, then continued quietly with a small “Thank you.” that he almost didn’t catch.

Awkward silence filled the room, and behind him he could hear the slosh of liquid as she assumingly poured more sake onto the cloth. A moment later he felt a sharp sting as she pressed the cloth to his shoulder. His teeth clenching at the sensation, and he struggled to hold in a sharp hiss of pain. 

However he must have somewhat recoiled because immediately the cloth was pulled away and the girl shot out a panicked, “I’m so sorry! I should have warned you first!”

He shook his head and tried to offer her a smile over his shoulder to reassure she did nothing wrong as he said, “It’s fine. That one’s just more tender than the other.”

She nodded back at him, and hesitantly brought the cloth back up to blot at the wound. This time she was much more gentle in her movements, and he wondered if perhaps she had gotten a little careless from his lack of reaction when she had done the same to his hand.

“Am I your first patient?” he asked as a way to fill the uncomfortable silence. Hoping that this question wouldn’t make her clam up the same way his other one had. He had a feeling that she likely didn’t quite trust him enough for the types of questions he’d like to ask.

“Am I that bad?” She asked back a little nervously.

“No, just hesitant, but it also makes sense that you wouldn’t have much practice.” he answered. “But you’re doing a good job, and I do appreciate that you’re making an effort to be careful not to harm me.” In Yase, he wouldn’t trust anyone but himself or maybe Kimigiku to tend to his wounds for that very reason. Not even her father had been particularly careful about not causing him pain in his treatment earlier.

He could hear a small relieved sigh escaped her lips behind him, and she admitted, “Well I learned the basics from my father. Though I wouldn’t say you’re my first patient. My brother gets in fights sometimes, and comes to me whenever he gets hurt.” As soon as the words existed her mouth, she jolted and quickly added in a flustered voice, “But you can’t tell anyone that! Especially not my father or uncle!” 

He let out an amused huff and reassured. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.” before asking, “So you have a brother?”

“Yes, his name’s Kaoru, we’re twins actually.” she answered as she started to wrap the bandages around his shoulder. “He’s a sweet boy once you get to know him.”

A sweet boy who gets in fights sometimes? Yamazaki decided against pointing out the contradiction in her words, and simply nodded in response.

They both went quiet for a moment as she focused on finishing her task, though it was less awkward and more comforting than before. Once she was done he could hear her gathering her things behind him.

Then she paused for a moment, probably thinking on something, and muttered a quiet “I’m sorry…”

“What for?”

“It’s my fault you got hurt in the first place.” she answered.

A part of him wanted to tell her that wasn’t true, and he was to blame for his injuries, not her. But he also couldn’t deny her part in the incident, even if he didn’t personally hold her responsible.

He thought for a moment, then asked “Tell me, did you lead Yukimura Kazuya to where we were fighting?”

She thought about it for a second, then answered, “I guess I did.”

He nodded and turned a little so that he could face her. Explaining, “I’m not sure if you noticed, but Kimigiku-san and I were more than overwhelmed by that yokai. If it hadn’t been for the arrival of the Eastern Blizzard, we likely would have been killed.” 

Though admittedly, he thought that with Kimigiku’s speed, she likely could have easily defeated it on her own. If she hadn’t been so focused on protecting him… or rather, if he hadn’t held her back… Internally, he grimaced as he thought back on their conversation earlier today.

He watched as her chestnut eyes went wide with the realization of what he was implying, and he smiled kindly at her as he finished. “You likely saved our lives. I should thank you for that.”

The girl blanked at him for a moment, then her lips curled into a smile. One that he thought suited her much better than that worried look of hers.

“Though you could afford to be more careful in the future.” he added with in a small smirk, “You won't always have a selfless ninja around to save you whenever you’re in peril.”

It was a poor attempt at a joke, and he regretted it the moment it left his lips—but still the girl giggled in response, and responded cheerfully, “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

She soon gathered her things, and explained “I need to go meet with my uncle soon, so I’ll be leaving now.”

He nodded and responded, “I understand. Thank you for the food…” He trailed off at the realization that he didn’t actually _know_ her name, and finished questioningly, “Yukimura-san?”

She seemed to catch on as well, and her cheeks flushed as she stammered out “O-Oh!! I-I’m so sorry! I should have introduced myself earlier!” Then with a deep bow, she introduced herself, “My name is Yukimura Chizuru! It’s nice to meet you.” 

He couldn’t help the small smile that formed on his lips at her flustered state, and responded with a calm, “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Yukimura-san.”

She gave an awkward smile and bowed once more, before excusing herself and leaving.

Well, he was grateful that there was at least one friendly face among the Yukimura that took no issue with his presence.

* * *

The pale moonlight shone brightly overhead as Chizuru followed quietly behind her uncle towards the edge of the village. In her hands was a single small ceramic bowl, a simple brown one that was black on the inside, and was wide rimmed but not particularly deep.

Kazuya was similarly silent as he guided her along the path, a large ceramic sake gourd slung over his shoulder.

As they distance themselves from the homes where the villagers slept for the night, they neared a bright red torii* gate at the border of the village. In front of which a warrior of their clan stood watch, who said nothing as they approached and passed him. She knew he wouldn’t question her so long as she was with the head of their clan.

As soon as they crossed below the scarlet gate, the world felt as though it had suddenly been swallowed by fog. And the further they walked, the thicker it became. Until she could barely make out the stark contrast of her uncle’s long raven hair cascading down the white fabric of his kimono in front of her.

But still, Kazuya walked forward confidently, in a stride that Chizuru’s shorter legs nearly had trouble keeping up with. So long as they followed the torii lined path as those that carry Yukimura blood in their veins, they were guaranteed to find their destination without being led astray. Or so she had been told.

Soon enough, the fog began to clear, and before them stood a natural cave-like structure. Kazuya didn’t even turn to look at her as he stated, “We’re here.” and walked in ahead of her.

As she entered after him, she could see that it was missing any sort of roof, and resembled more of a cliff-like room encircling a medium sized spring of water.

The spring itself felt almost ethereal in nature. True to its real name, the Moon Spring, it looked as though a pool of shimmering moonlight had been poured from the heavens, and taken residence in this sacred place. From a distance it gathered and reflected any light it captured like a cats eye in the dead of night, seeming to glow a bright silver, and resembled a second moon trapped in the earth. But up close its crystal clear waters, completely devoid of any impurities such as dirt, fallen sticks, or leaves, perfectly reflected the almost full moon and stars above.

As Chizuru curiously peered over the water’s edge, she could see the bright golden eyes of an oni looking back at her. The long snow white locks that shimmered under the pale moonlight just as brightly as the water below, cascaded over the two small horns —not even a third of the size of her uncles in length— poking out from her forehead. She couldn’t help but frown at the sight.

 _Pathetic_.

She’d hated her true form ever since she was a child.

_Disgusting_

Ever since she grew old enough to know how different she was from those around her.

_Filthy wretch._

Ever since she learned how brazenly the features of her true from displayed the effects of her impure blood.

_The shame of the Yukimura clan._

Because at least when she hid this form, she could pretend that she was the same as everyone else in the village. That they had no reason to despise her just for being born.

**_Then make them pay._ **

Chizuru jumped at the dark thoughts that began to cross her mind, and promptly shook her head as if to rid herself of them.

She’d been warned of this. As the jewel was at the moment, it’ll latch onto any negative emotions it can, and amplify them immensely in an attempt to tempt others into using it.

Instead she tried to focus on her task. As she had been instructed, Chizuru took the bowl she brought with her and carefully scooped out a small portion of water. Then, placing the bowl on the ground in front of her, she sat down and reached around her neck to remove the length of string that the jewel had been tied onto, and lowered the object gently into the bowl of water.

After a moment of looking at it, she turned her attention to Kazuya and asked, “What should I do now?”

Kazuya frowned slightly, before explaining, “As far as I know, the water should draw the malevolent energy from the jewel on its own if given enough time.” He paused for a second, before instructing, “I want you to see if you can speed the process up somehow.”

Frowning at the vagueness of his request, Chizuru nodded and turned her attention back to the jewel. Cautiously, she reached forward and dipped her hands into the bowl.

The moment her skin touched the surface of the water, she felt a jolt of energy surge through her. The water was cold, freezing, or at least it should have been considering the bitter chill of the winter air around her. However all she felt from it was a familiar, welcoming warmth that coursed through her.

She moved her hands to circle the jewel in the water. Then closed her eyes and tried to picture the mass of energy within it. She could feel it so strongly, as if it was a large black ball of malevolent energy swirling right in front of her. Carefully, she reached out to it, and forced her hands inside. Clawing desperately at the vile substance as she tried to pull it from the jewel. Only after a moment of bitter struggle could she feel it begin to flow between her fingers and into the water.

When she opened her eyes, Chizuru was pleasantly surprised to find that the crystal clear water of the bowl had gotten cloudy with the black energy from the jewel.

A confident smile crossed her face as she closed her eyes once again and repeated the process. Again and again, until the water was a thick inky black, and left her feeling almost nauseated just from touching it.

She looked to her uncle, who had been watching her work with heavy interest, and asked, “What should I do with the water?”

He set the large ceramic jug down at her side and instructed, “Pour it in here, but be careful not to spill any. I’ll have the water properly purified by humans later.”

She nodded, and as instructed, she carefully poured the vile dark liquid into the container.

As she turned to refill the bowl, she noticed how little effect her efforts had on the state of the jewel, and asked “Uncle Kazuya, why is it so important that we purify— or cleanse jewel in the first place?”

“So that it won’t corrupt the next human or yokai to use it.” he answered, “The Yase Princess is also worried that Shuten-doiji’s hatred for other Oni might be lingering inside of it as well, meaning that if it were to successfully corrupt another yokai, we could have the same problem as before.”

She grimaced at the thought, and asked “Then why don’t we just hide it so that no one can use it again?”

“You’d need an incredibly powerful seal for that to work.” he answered, “And even then, there are those that could probably still find it. Your sensitivity the jewel’s power is… unique… as far as I know. But in this state, most yokai— and even some humans— can still somewhat sense the jewel’s malevolent aura. I’m certain that it’s probably already attracted a few weaker yokai to the village.”

The gut wrenching concern she felt at his statement must have shown on her face because he quickly added in a confident tone, “Don’t worry. There aren’t many yokai that would willingly invoke the wrath of the Eastern Blizzard.” flashing her a confident smirk as he added, “So long as I’m here, both the jewel and the village are safe.”

She gave a hesitant nod, but still felt uneasy. Regardless, she decided to push through and continue her task. Repeating the process of drawing out the jewel’s malevolent energy over and over throughout the night.

Chizuru only stopped her diligent work when dawn finally broke.

Then, exhausted from staying up all night, she made her way back to her room. Barely registering any of the details of her walk through the village from the Moon Spring and to the castle until she collapsed into a tired mass onto her futon. Which someone must have laid out for her at some point. Not even bothering to change out of her clothes as she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Several hours later, she woke up with the futon blanket she had fallen asleep on top of, laid out over her. The pink jacket she wore over her kimono having been removed and placed on the rack at the edge of her room, but for the most part the rest of her attire was left as it was.

Her eyes were drawn to a plate of rice balls that had been left beside her futon, and a note that had been placed partially under the plate. Curiously, she reached for the paper and read the message on it, immediately recognizing her father’s handwriting.

“You missed breakfast so I thought you might be hungry.”

A smile made its way to her face at her father’s considerate gesture, and Chizuru realized it must have been him who moved her in her sleep when he brought the food in. Likely concerned that she might catch a cold if she slept without a cover. (Even if she didn’t really get sick that often.)

With a stretch and a yawn, she forced herself out of her warm futon and reached for the plate of rice balls. Making a mental reminder to thank her father the next time she saw him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Torii gate- a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred.
> 
> \---
> 
> So, I'm not done with Three Houses. It's a REALLY good game! But after spending 100+ hours on the first route alone, I needed a break from all the micromanaging that ate up most my playtime. Not to mention my brother was apparently having BoTW withdrawals, so a break worked out in the end.
> 
> So I took a quick week long break to write this, and part of chapter three, which was initially supposed to be at the end of this chapter but the scene is so long it could be a chapter of its own. (RIP the pretty organization of my outline by adding another chapter out of a scene that was originally supposed to be short and simple)


	3. Similarities

A week had passed since Chizuru had started cleansing the jewel.

Every night she would be escorted to the Moon Spring by Kazuya, and repeat the process of drawing out the malevolent energy from the jewel until her bowl of water turned black and needed to be replaced, only for her to start again. She would do this over and over until dawn broke. Then she would return to her room in the castle, and fall asleep until later in the afternoon, only to wake up to find some sort of food left out for her by her father. After eating she would dress herself and get ready to do her various daily tasks. Then once night fell, she would meet with her uncle by the castle gate, and head back to the Moon Spring to start the cycle all over again.

This had been her schedule for the past few days, and she’d gotten accustomed to it fairly easily.

Right now her hands were full with a basket of dirty blankets and clothing as she made her way to the courtyard.

While she wasn’t officially recognized as a member of the main family, Chizuru wasn’t exactly expected to do the housework normally delegated to castle servants, like laundry, either. But because she wanted to feel useful, she chose to do so anyway. By now the maids had gotten used to her asking to help them, and didn’t deny her when she did. Even if they probably wanted to.

Doing laundry in the winter was troublesome at best. The water tended to run cold to the touch, even when it was heated it would quickly get cold again before you were even halfway done with the task. And because of the cold air outside, everything took much longer to dry. Even on a dry sunny day like today.

However, if they didn’t do it, then the fabric would start to smell and could potentially invite disease into the castle. And while it was true that, like most yokai, Oni didn’t get sick very easily, it wasn’t impossible either. So Chizuru had offered to help in hopes that she could at least help finish the task quickly.

Chizuru began to turn the corner along the engawa* into the courtyard when she heard a female voice say, “What is Yukimura-sama thinking? Letting a lowly human sleep within the castle walls!?”

It was the voice of one of the maids in charge of doing the laundry today. Normally they were quiet when they worked– or perhaps the right word was pointedly silent– at least when she was helping them. They’d sent her off to go get more landry, and must have thought her absence was a good enough excuse to gossip.

A second, slightly older voice chimed in, “I heard it’s because he got injured saving that traitor’s pathetic daughter.”

“Honestly, it would be so much easier for us if he’d just let her get killed.” The younger of the two mused, and the older simply hummed in agreement.

Chizuru could feel her grip on the basket tighten at the lack of emotion in the young woman’s voice. It wasn’t any secret that the members of her clan couldn’t stand the sight of her, but to so openly wish her harm… She’d be lying if she said it didn’t hurt.

“Yukimura-sama’s gotten too soft lately. To think the _great_ Eastern Blizzard couldn’t even protect a single little girl by himself?” The younger woman laughed, “Isn’t it shameful to let a weak little human do the work for him? It makes you wonder if he’s even fit to lead our clan.”

Chizuru’s stomach turned at the woman’s words. It was one thing for them to speak badly of her, she was used to it by now, but she didn’t want them to speak that way about her family. Especially not because of her, or because of Yamazaki, who was only stuck here because of her own carelessness.

“Enough of that!” The older woman chided, “Yukimura-sama would have our heads if he heard you speaking so disrespectfully of him.”

She had a point. While it probably wouldn’t be as severe as she suggested, Kazuya had proven in the past that he wasn't very tolerant people speaking ill of him or his family. Regardless of it they were a low ranking member of the clan, or a high profile representative of one of one of the Yukimura's vassal clans. If Chizuru wanted to, she could reveal herself right now and stop the conversation in its tracks. The two maids would probably panic, unsure of how much she had heard, and beg her not to say anything to her uncle about what they just said.

But her body refused to move.

_Nobody would miss a pathetic little brat like you._

Those cruel words from a painful memory from long ago echoed through her mind. And she couldn’t help but wonder... Would they be angry with her for listening in?

The sound of footsteps on the wooden floor approaching the corner she was hidden behind sent her into a panic, and before she realized it, she was running in the opposite direction. The dirty laundry she’d been carrying abandoned and forgotten in a mess on the ground behind her.

She wasn’t quite sure where she was running, or _why,_ but all that mattered was that she get as far away from the scene as possible before anyone realized that she had been eavesdropping.

When she stopped, Chizuru found herself faced with the sight of a picturesque pure white garden. Save for the white tsubaki, which were the only evergreen that flowered this time of year in their garden. Most of the trees and bushes were void of leaves. Instead being decorated with delicate layers of stacked snow, so fragile on some of the thinner limbs that a strong enough breeze would likely knock them into the perfectly untouched sheet of snow that blanketed the ground below. 

It was the garden her mother loved when she had lived within Yukimura village. Even without the colorful flowers and leaves that would decorate it in any other season, the garden was still so serene, pure, and quiet in the winter, with its own sense of beauty that even Chizuru could appreciate.

Apparently she wasn’t the only one to think so, as she was quickly surprised to hear the sound of an unmistakably recognizable masculine voice call out, “Yukimura-san?” 

Her eyes were quickly drawn to a figure sitting on the edge of the engawa that she hadn’t initially noticed, and were met with the sight of Yamazaki. He had been sitting with his back to her current location, giving her the sight of a lose dark grey kimono, that he seemed to be wearing as a jacket over his clothing, fanned out loosely behind him as he hung his legs over the edge of the wooden platform. His bright lavender eyes were wide with surprise, before his expression quickly melted into one of concern at the sight of her.

“Yamazaki-san?!” She couldn’t help but exclaim as she approached him, obviously surprised to see him here. “What are you doing out of your room? You should be resting!”

He frowned slightly, then explained as he looked back to the garden, “Your father gave me permission to leave my room, on the condition that I didn’t venture too far from it.”

Venture too far? While not directly overlooking it like her own did, she remembered that his room was still fairly close to the garden. So she supposed it would probably be natural for him to eventually venture here once he was allowed to look around the castle.

“I’m surprised he agreed to that.” she stated. Considering her father’s obviously negative opinion of Yamazaki, it wouldn’t surprise her if he’d done all in his power to keep their guest confined to his room for as long as possible.

“Yes, well, I was fairly instant.” he answered, before he moved to stand up from his previous sitting position. Adding in an almost defensive explanation as he turned to face her, “While I know rest is important for my recovery, I can’t see being confined to a single room for so long being beneficial to my health either.”

“I can understand that.” she agreed, thinking that she would also probably get a little stir crazy if she’d been confined to her room for as long as he had been. “But isn’t the cold bothering your wounds?”

A small smile crossed his face and he answered, “Please don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”

“Oh… Okay…”

Then there was silence.

It had been a week since she last spoke with him. When her father discovered her dinner plot— which he had probably learned about when he later went to change Yamazaki’s bandages himself— he had been understandably upset. Though she hadn’t specifically promised to stay away from the injured man, she _did_ deliberately go behind her father’s back to see him.

She justified her actions in wanting to at least thank him for saving her. However, in the end she had been completely forbidden from going anywhere near Yamazaki in the future.

She’d resided herself to avoiding contact with him for the past week. And now that she found herself faced with him, the knowledge that they would likely get in a lot of trouble if anyone saw them speaking with one another weighed heavily on her.

He was the one to break the silence as he asked, “Was something bothering you?” Her confused expression prompted him to elaborate further, “You looked upset.”

She thought on the question, then averted her eyes and said quietly, “Actually… I’m not supposed to talk to you.” Though that hadn’t been what he asked, she didn’t think she could talk to him about the gossip from earlier anyway.

He was quiet as well, before confessing, “Yes, your father said something similar to me as well.”

All she could manage was a pitiful, “I’m sorry.” as an apology before a potent silence, weighed down with heavy awkwardness, settled between them.

Finally Yamazaki said, “Well, I should be returning to my room.” His voice stiff and distant, much colder than it was a moment before. He gave her a light bow before adding, “It was nice to see you again, Yukimura-san.” and turned to leave.

Something about his tone made Chizuru’s stomach knot, and she couldn’t stop herself from impulsively reaching out and grabbing the sleeve of the loose dark grey kimono he wore over his light blue uwagi* as a jacket, with a frantic “Wait!” escaping her lips.

He turned to look at her, and after a moment his brows knitted and he asked, “Yes?”

Realizing the rudeness of her impulsive behavior, Chizuru quickly released his sleeve with a quick “Sorry” and averted her gaze to the floor.

What exactly did she hope to gain from stopping him? Between the two of them, Yamazaki was the one who had more to lose if her father discovered they’d spoken. He’d only just gotten permission to leave his room, and she doubted her father would lose any sleep if he were to take that one freedom away again under the pretense of concern for Yamazaki’s wounds. 

But at the same time… Yamazaki was the only person outside of her family that actually seemed to respect her. Or at least, he was kinder to her than anyone else in her clan was. He didn’t judge her just for being born, he listened to her when she spoke, and when he smiled for her… she could tell it was genuine, not forced politeness.

She understood that it was selfish of her, but she didn’t want to lose that warm kindness in his eyes that she found herself so drawn to.

“It’s not fair…” she started, feeling her fingers pull into a tight fist as she kept her gaze trained on the wooden floor. “You haven’t done anything wrong, but my father says that you’re dangerous just because you’re a Yokai Taijiya.”

Though she didn't see it, Yamazaki’s eyes went wide with this new information, and then his brows furrowed as he corrected in a firm voice, “I’m a member of the Suzumori clan.”

Realizing from his tone that maybe she had accidentally offended him, Chizuru quickly tried to backtrack and nervously explained. “I-I know that! And I’m sure my father does too!” She paused, then looked down and apologized, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

He was quiet for a moment, before he sighed and explained, “By birth, yes, there was a point that I was training to become a Yokai Taijiya.” When she looked up to him, she could see he was looking out over the garden with an unreadable solemn look on his face. “However, I lost my home when I was young, and it was the Suzumori who took me in when I had nowhere else to turn.”

Suddenly Chizuru felt her heart drop as she remembered what her father said; that Yamazaki’s family was from a village of Yokai Taijiya that had been destroyed eight years ago. She only just registered how young he was, and how he must have been just a child when that happened. She couldn’t help the guilt that welled within her from how she had worded her statement. “I’m sorry, that was insensitive of me.”

His brows furrowed a little at her apology, “You don’t need to apologize. It’s not as though I’m ashamed of my past, nor do I wish to forget it.” he explained, then sighed. “Though, I suppose I can understand why your father might be cautious of me. Yokai Taijiya are humans that are trained from a young age to kill yokai, after all.” he let out an amused huff before adding, “Though I fear that concern might be a little misguided. Injured or not, any single member of your clan would likely pose a greater threat to me than I ever could to them.”

She couldn’t help but notice how self deprecating his voice sounded as he finished that last sentence, or the troubled expression that crossed his face as he seemed to think further on the matter. And so she offered quietly, “Well, if it counts for anything, I think that he was just using that as an excuse anyway.” He raised a brow in interest, and she further explained. “My father actually hates humans… because they killed my mother.”

Yamazaki went quiet, and a part of her regretted saying that after she did. 

After a moment, he finally broke his silence and cautiously asked, “And you don’t?”

She looked up to see him giving her a sympathetic but curious expression, and simply shook her head and answered, “No, not really.”

“Why is that?” he asked, before promptly adding, “If you don’t mind my asking.”

Chizuru lightly bit the corner of her lip at his question, unable to meet his eyes. He had a point. She had every right to hate humans for what they did. For taking her kind mother away from her when she was too young to even comprehend what was happening. For forcing her back to the "safety" of the Yukimura clan, where she was clearly not welcome. Nobody would blame her for being cold to Yamazaki and wanting nothing to do with him, like her father. Yet she just couldn’t bring herself to do so.

But could she bring herself to tell him the truth about her?

Nervously, she glanced around, just to make sure that there wasn’t anyone around. While the garden normally wasn't a very high traffic area for the castle servants, especially this time of the year, she was still a little worried about being overheard.

Then with a sigh, she looked up to meet his curious gaze, and asked, “Would you like to take a walk with me through the garden?”

He tensed slightly at the question, but still silently nodded.

She gave a weak smile, and turned to walk towards the stairs leading down from the raised engawa into the garden. Silently trying to collect her thoughts as she lead him through the pure white scenery.

Until she finally paused on a bridge that crossed over a now frozen koi pond, and the sudden stop of the snowy crunch of footsteps behind her told her that Yamazaki had done the same.

“You see, I was pretty young when my parents passed away.” she explained. “I don’t remember them at all.”

“Parents?” Yamazaki repeated, “But isn’t Yukimura Kodo…?”

“Not by birth, no.” she answered, “He’s a relative of my mother’s who watched over her and my uncle since they were young. Or so I’m told. He took me and my brother in after she passed.”

“It’s really only through my adoptive father’s and uncle’s stories of her that I’ve gotten to know what kind of person my mother was.” She smiled and glanced downwards into the frozen pond below, “They say she was a perfect lady. Beautiful, graceful, and kind. Uncle Kazuya even said that her strategy and conflict resolution skills were second to none, and that she often helped him with managing the affairs of the village.” Her mother had been a true treasure of the Yukimura clan, unlike herself, Chizuru thought a little sadly. “As for my father, my birth father I mean, the only time my adoptive father ever speaks of him is to let us know how undeserving he was to marry my mother.”

She frowned, and continued. “I know that the humans that killed my mother were horrible, and that what they did was unforgivable. But still... I just can’t accept my father’s opinions of humans either. After all…” She paused, swallowing nervously, before she finished, “If my kind mother was able to love a human man so much as to leave behind her home and family to marry him… they can’t _all_ be bad… can they?”

There was a potent silence as her words sunk in, and Chizuru kept her gaze pointed anywhere but him, and did her best to keep her trembling hands from betraying her nervousness. She was terrified of what expression he might be making. Though she knew that he had no reason to reject her for who she was, she was still scared that he would, just like everyone else around her had done over and over.

“You’re a hanyo?” He finally asked.

She flinched a little at the word. _Hanyo_. That's what children born between human and yokai parents were called, landing somewhere on the scale between the two. Too human to be a yokai, but too yokai to be human. She was someone that would never truly be accepted in either world. The word had been used against her as a derogatory term ever since she had been old enough to understand what it meant.

Though Yamazaki said it so matter-of-fact-like, without a hint of contempt in his voice.

Cautiously, she looked up to meet his gaze. Only to see him looking at her with a slight tilt of the head, his sharp lavender eyes laced with curiosity, and nothing more. No scorn. No repulsion. No rejection. He just wanted to be sure he was understanding her story correctly.

A bright smile made its way to her face at this realization, and she nodded. “Does that surprise you?”

“No.” he answered, returning her smile with a kind one of his own, “I thought you were different from other oni, now I understand why.”

“Different?”

He pursed his lips. His right hand pulling from its location within his sleeves, where it had been previously tucked against his other arm for warmth, and up to his chin. His brows pressing together as he contemplated the meaning of his own words.

“I suppose you’re too warm and welcoming.” he finally answered, meeting her gaze, “Most yokai come off as cold, and distant, even if that’s not actually the case. But there’s a kindness to you that feels distinctly human. Your presence is… oddly comforting.”

She blinked at him, and realized that she understood where he was coming from. She’d always been shy around the other members of the Yukimura clan, but always assumed that was the fault of her own timid personality. Even her uncle, who she knew cared greatly about her, felt intimidating to approach most of the time. She felt less of that with her father due to familiarity, but it was something she still noticed occasionally. But not with Yamazaki.

“I get the same feeling from you.” she admitted, “That you’re easy to talk to, I mean.”

“I suppose we’re more comfortable with the more human aspects of each other?” he suggested, looking over the scenery with a content look on his face.

A cheerful hum escaped her lips, and she agreed "Maybe so.”

The moment didn’t last long, however, as both of their attentions were quickly drawn to the sound of an unwelcome recognizable voice calling out, “Chizuru-san!”

At the sound of her name, Chizuru head whipped up to see the approaching figure of the young tawny haired maid who she was supposed to be helping with the laundry, the same woman she’d overheard criticizing her uncle. A mixture of panic and anger crossed the woman’s features, and Chizuru fought the urge to run at the sight of her. 

As she neared, the woman noticed Yamazaki, and her dark onyx eyes narrowed coldly. Then she forced a smile as she looked back to Chizuru and asked, “Weren’t you supposed to be helping with the laundry today? We were worried when you suddenly disappeared like that!” While her tone was civil, there was an underlying anger in it.

Right. Chizuru realized that she hadn’t exactly been subtle with her disappearance. She’d been so panicked that she’d hastily dropped the dirty laundry she’d been carrying on the ground just around the corner from the courtyard where they were working. Not to mention that they probably heard the loud footsteps of her running away.

The only reason this woman had to be worried, was if she’d been heard in her blatant slander of their clan leader, and if Chizuru planned to say anything to him about it. Not that she would, since she knew that it would only cause her more trouble in the end.

“O-oh. Right! I’m so sorry about that.” Chizuru apologize, subtly trying to back away from the maid.

The woman simply shook her head and said, “Don’t worry about it.” then reached out and took Chizuru’s wrist in a painfully tight grip, and pulled her forward as she continued, “Well then, if you’ll excuse us,” Her statement likely directed at Yamazaki, who had been quietly observing the exchange from the side, “we should head back and let Nee-san know that you’re okay.”

“Ah- wait!” Chizuru started, before a larger masculine hand reached to pull off the hand holding her wrist.

“I apologize.” Yamazaki said calmly, casually stepping between Chizuru and the woman who was clearly beginning to lose her patience. “You see, today’s the first time I’ve been allowed to leave my room, and I asked Yukimura-san to show me around the castle.” She could hear him exhale softly in a small humored huff before he added, “I didn’t give her much choice in the matter, so please forgive her for leaving you to do the work alone.”

The woman glared at him for a moment, before her cold gaze settled on Chizuru behind him, and she asked, “Is that so?”

After a second of confusion, Chizuru furiously nodded and agreed, “Y-yes!” The woman looked between them for a moment, her onyx eyes narrowed dubiously, and Chizuru nervously decided to add, “Actually… My uncle asked me to show Yamazaki-san around when he was feeling better. Which is why I couldn’t say no when he asked…” 

Yamazaki looked back at her for a moment, and she could catch a hint of a smile on his lips before he looked back to the maid and nodded in agreement.

The woman’s eyes went wide at this information, and finally relented, “I guess if Yukimura-sama said so…” 

“If you still need help, I wouldn’t mind lending my assistance with the laundry as well.” Yamazaki offered, “After all, it is my fault that Yukimura-san left you to do it without her.” 

“No! There’s no need!” The woman quickly blurted out, “We could never ask Yukimura-sama’s guest to do our busywork for us. Especially not while you’re still recovering from your injuries!” 

The woman took a step back away from Yamazaki, then sighed and said, “You’re excused from work, Chizuru-san. Feel free to finish your tour of the castle, but please tell us the next time something like this comes up.” before turning around and walking away.

“Y-yes, I’ll be sure to do that.” She sheepishly replied.

Only when she was certain that the woman was gone, did Chizuru let out a sigh of relief. She then looked to Yamazaki as he turned to face her, and asked, “Why did you lie to her?”

“I noticed you looked upset earlier.” he answered, “And from the way you reacted when she approached you, I figured that woman might have had something to do with it.” His brows quickly knitted in concern as he asked, “Should I not have?”

She blinked in surprise at how perceptive Yamazaki seemed to be. She also couldn’t help but be a little impressed with how well he had handled the situation, and how quickly he had thought up of a fairly convincing cover story to rescue her from that situation. 

_Yamazaki really is a kind person_ , she thought with a smile.

“No. Honestly, I should probably thank you.” She answered, rubbing her wrist that had been so roughly grabbed. Then asked a bit more quietly with a concerned frown, “But are you sure it was okay to say that though? If my father hears that you stole me away from my chores for a personal tour of the castle, you’ll be the one to get in trouble.”

“You do have a point.” he admitted, a look of discomfort crossing his face as he thought further on the subject. “I suppose I’ll have to say goodbye to my freedom should he hear of this.” He shook his head, as if to remove whatever thought had crossed his mind. “Nonetheless, I understand how oni like her treat those they see as unwelcome outsiders. So I couldn’t just sit back and allow her to do as she pleased.”

“Unwelcome outsider…?” she repeated. Her chestnut eyes went wide at the realization that hit her. Of course Yamazaki would understand what she’s been through. He was a human member of the Suzumori clan. Yes the clan leader seemed to care about him, but like her, he’d probably grown used to years of rejection and harsh treatment from the oni in his clan that could never accept him as one of them.

A smile made its way to her lips, and she mused, “I guess we’ve got a lot in common, don’t we?”

Yamazaki met her smile with a gentle one of his own as he agreed, “Yes, it would seem so.”

She hummed in agreement, and thought for a moment. Then asked, “Would you like me to _actually_ show you around the castle?”

“I thought you were worried about your father?”

“I was.” She admitted, “But I just can’t agree with his opinions of you. You’re a kind person, and my father’s a fool if he refuses to see that.” She inwardly laughed at the idea of how rebellious just saying that made her feel, but Chizuru knew that she wasn’t wrong for saying something she believed to be true. “Besides…” she added with an almost cheeky grin, “if he’s going to hear about this anyway, then we might as well make the most of your lie while we can. Don’t you agree, Yamazaki-san?”

He stared at her wide eyed, then let out a humored sigh as his thin lips pulled into a wry smile. “I suppose with that logic, you leave me no other choice but to agree.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> engawa- an elevated strip of non-tatami-matted flooring (usually wood or bamboo) that runs around the rooms, on the outside of the building, resembling a porch.
> 
> Uwagi- A martial arts top, typically much shorter than a kimono, with smaller sleeves, intended for easier movement. There isn't much info about them in the west, but one of the defining features I noticed about them is how they are tied together to the right side of the body with an attached string, which is usually hidden under a belt (karate/martial arts) or under the top of the Hakama (ninja).  
> Note: It took me forever to figure out what the heck that thing Yamazaki wears in game is. "Is it a shirt? is it a kimono? is it even Japanese??" But then I looked into what little info in the west exist about Uwagi (very limited) because a site on Ninja clothes mentions them, and after seeing a picture of one, I realized it was probably an Uwagi from the way it tied off to the side! And it makes sense with his serious personality that Yamazaki would prefer something thats easy to move and fight in, even in his casual wear. It just makes me appreciate and him even more!


	4. The Yukimura Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been two weeks since Yamazaki arrived in Yukimura village, and he finally gets a chance to properly meet Kaoru and Kazuya.

The clacking sound of wooden sword hitting wooden sword filled the air of the training hall, as two quick moving white haired forms danced around each other in a heated sparring session so fast paced that Yamazaki had difficulty accurately following it. 

Chizuru had invited Yamazaki to the training hall to watch her twin brother, Yukimura Kaoru’s, training session. As it seemed that today was a rare day where the head of the Yukimura clan had some free time away from his duties to his clan and village, and chose to spend it training with his nephew.

He quickly understood why she had been so eager to drag him away from his room for the occasion. Even within Yase, he had never seen a fight like this before. It was like he was watching a duel of beast. Both Yukimuras were obviously incredibly powerful, made evident as each strike was met with a thunderous smacking sound— that honestly had Yamazaki worried that one of them would end up breaking the wooden practice blades they were wielding. And their speed… it was almost comparable to that of the heads of the Suzumori clan, who prided themselves on their unmatched speed. And the fact that Kaoru was capable of keeping up with someone as strong as the Eastern Blizzard at this level, despite being a hanyo, served as a testament to the strength of the Yukimura blood flowing through his veins.

Honestly, it was surprising that the training hall was so empty. Surely a chance to see the head of the clan fight was a rare sight for the Yukimura, and the mere notion of his fighting would have the whole clan gathered round to watch? There was the possibility that Kazuya wanted to keep the affair private. Only those within the head family of the Yukimura clan use the two sword style after all, and it would make sense to want to keep the other clan members away while attempting to teach it. However, why would an outsider such as Yamazaki be allowed to attend in that case?

No, it was much more likely that like Chizuru, Kaoru was not a popular figure within the clan. As such, it would stand to reason that Kazuya would want to keep potential nuisances away from this training session.

Though Yamazaki had never spoken the the young hanyo himself, he had seen him a few times around the castle. Usually it was in passing as they were going opposite directions down a hall, or occasionally he would spot the teen while assisting Chizuru with the various small tasks and chores she did around the castle during the day.

Really, he was a difficult person to miss. Given the lack of effort put into hiding the stark white hair and brilliant golden eyes of his true form, or the two small horns atop his head that acted as undeniable proof of his mixed blood. Kaoru really did stand out like a sore thumb next to the admittedly plainer castle staff. Yamazaki had never once seen the boy outside of his true form, leaving him to wonder if he was either unwilling, or unable, to hide his true appearance like his sister did.

The sound of a pained “Ow!” cut through the air, and the clattering sound of two wooden swords hitting the ground soon followed as Kaoru bent over to clutch his left side, which had been hit with an unrestrained strike from his uncle.

Kazuya made no attempt to apologize, nor did he move to comfort his nephew over the pain his attack had caused. Instead the man simply pointed his single blade— a handicap, as Yamazaki saw it, due to the clan leader’s affinity to the duel wielding style he was attempting to drill his nephew on— at the boy, and scolded in a harsh tone. “You’re favoring your right arm too much. Try again.”

The hanyo nodded, and moved to pick his swords back up before taking his stance once more. Kazuya did the same. A moment passed before the elder of the two yelled out “Begin!” and both men quickly met again in the middle to resume their thunderous drum of powerful wooden strikes.

“He seems quite strict.” Yamazaki quietly noted.

Next to him he could hear a nervous laugh from Chizuru, before she agreed, “He isn’t a very patient teacher, but he’s a nice person, I swear.”

That comment reminded Yamazaki of how she said something similar about her brother on the day they met. However, based off of what he’d seen and heard of the boy’s temper, Yamazaki hoped that Chizuru’s judgement on her family members being ‘nice’ wasn’t biased.

His thoughts were interrupted at the sound of Kaoru’s victorious yell as he swung both of his swords downwards towards the rebuffed Kazuya’s shoulder. However, the man was able to turn his body to dodge out of the way. Using both Kaoru’s forward momentum, as well as his own, to spin his wooden sword around and land a hard hit against the back of the teen’s head. 

“You’re being too aggressive.” Kazuya scolded as the younger male lurched forward with a cry of pain, gripping his head.

“That hurt!” Kaoru spat out with little regard to his uncle’s criticism.

“And you’d be dead if this were a real fight.” the man retorted coldly, “Kaoru, how many times do I have to tell you that the Yukimura two sword style is a _defensive_ fighting style? You can’t afford to leave yourself open. Yes a good offense can be a strong defense, but that doesn’t apply when you can’t put your full strength into your swing.”

He had a point. There were benefits two using two swords instead of one. On paper, it would make sense for such a style to be powerful on an overwhelming offense, and that might be true if he were using anything shorter than a katana and wakizashi. However, the use of one hand per blade meant that each strike made would only be half the strength of what he could manage with both hands steadying one sword. Meaning that if someone were to purely rely on his own natural strength in battle, they would likely lose to someone half as strong. So it was important to use other tactics to keep an opponent on their toes. It was a similar train of thought to how Yamazaki used his kusarigama, which the primary point of was to restrain and distract, not over power an opponent.

Kaoru frowned as he rubbed the back of his head, and grumbled something too quiet for Yamazaki to catch from his distance. However his comment only seemed to earn him a silent glare that had the teen flinching.

With a sigh, Kazuya’s stiff posture relaxed as he further instructed, “Try to focus on deflecting enemy attacks, not blocking them, and strike back only after you’ve _created_ an opening.” Kaoru began to open his mouth in protest, but was swiftly cut off as his uncle continued, “ **Without** creating any against yourself. You tend to get careless when you think you’ve won, that’s something else you need to watch out for.”

The only response he got was a quiet, “I understand.” as Kaoru moved to pick his swords back up again and move back into his stance.

However, instead of taking up a stance of his own, Kazuya shook his head and said, “You can take a break.” before looking to the two sole observers in the training hall, “Chizuru, you’re up.”

“Me?” Chizuru asked, her voice filled with a similar surprised to Yamazaki’s after hearing her name called out.

“Yes, you.” he clarified with narrowed golden eyes. “You’ve been neglecting your training lately, haven’t you?”

“Yes, but…” She started, before her chestnut eyes shot in Yamazaki’s direction in a momentarily panicked gaze, and she bit her lip. Then she quickly ran over to Kazuya and finished her thought quietly, as though she didn’t want Yamazaki to hear whatever it was she wanted to say.

Her uncle scowled at her, before he shot back in an annoyed tone, “And you think an enemy is just going to wait for it to get dark to attack? Go get your swords!”

The girl visibly stiffened at her uncle's tone, and with a quick “R-right!” she obediently scurried off to do as she was told.

Her brother, meanwhile, made a quiet point to sit on the opposite side of the room from where Yamazaki was.

Another way Kaoru differed from his sister, was that he never once attempted to initiate any sort of contact with their human guest. Where-as Chizuru has always come off as welcoming and kind to Yamazaki, he was convinced that her brother had little to no interest in even being in the same room as him. That being said, it's not as though he blamed him for it after learning the truth of what happened to the twins' mother. Yamazaki supposed that he should consider himself lucky that all he’d received so far was silence and the occasional glare from across the courtyard when the younger hanyo thought he hadn't been noticed.

Chizuru returned a moment later with two wooden practice swords, which she momentarily set down to tie the back of her kimono up behind her legs in order to not restrict her movement. 

To Yamazaki’s surprise (and slight disappointment) instead of Chizuru shifting into her true form like he had been expecting her to, her uncle’s white hair shifted back to its natural raven black coloring, and his long pointed horns receded back into his head as both of them moved into their stances. 

“Begin!” 

Kazuya was the one to move first. In an instant, he quickly crossed the distance between them, his strike coming from above. Chizuru deflected the hit to her right, but he used the motion to curve his blade towards her side. She was quick enough to move both her blades to catch his attack in an x patterned block with a loud “clack”, but the action of doing so making her visibly wince.

Not that it surprised Yamazaki. Even if he wasn’t drawing on his full power, Kazuya was likely still much stronger than an ordinary human in this form. Assumingly much more so than his hanyo niece. And the fact that he was using only one sword and was able to put his full strength into each strike, only seemed to amplify the difference in power between them.

She retreated back a few steps into a defensive stance, but the older man didn't give her the time to breath and quickly pursued. The repeated sound of their swords meeting filled the room. With Chizuru skillfully batting away each strike made against her, but slowly and surely being pushed back as she was forced onto the defense from her uncle’s relentless attack.

Finally Kazuya shouted out, “You’ll never defeat anyone if all you can’t bring yourself to attack your opponent!”

Chizuru didn’t say anything in response. But the next time he struck at her, she attempted to block the hit with the sword in her left hand, and strike with her right. However, Kazuya was able to quickly twist his wooden blade to turn to meet her attack. The likely unexpected force of the impact sending the weapon flying out of Chizuru’s hand and clattering on the ground behind her. Before she even had a chance to react, her uncle had already swiftly turned to point his wooden blade to her chest.

“You’re too soft.” He explained before pulling away, “It’s good that you can defend yourself in an emergency, but your biggest flaw is that you’re too hesitant to attack. If you hesitate in a real battle, even for a moment, you’re as good as dead.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize!” he snapped back, his icy tone even making Yamazaki flinch, “Work on fixing it!” He pointed his wooden weapon at her discarded blade and ordered “Go get your sword, we’re going again.”

The only response he got was a quick nod before the girl obediently went to retrieve the sword and move back into her stance.

“Begin!” Kazuya’s voice signaled for the clash to start again.

Once more, he was the one to make the first move. Lunging forward with an overhead strike, which Chizuru managed to deflect with her left sword, and made a swipe at him with her right. Kazuya quickly stepped back to evade the hit. However, instead of pursuing, Chizuru simply held her defensive stance with a look of nervous concentration crossing her features.

Kazuya’s lips turned slightly, only for a moment, before he moved to attack again. His strike was swiftly deflected downwards by Chizuru’s two swords. He struck upwards from that position, forcing his niece to bat the attack away while retreating backwards.

This gave Kazuya the momentum to start to push her back once again. While unable to break through her defenses, he also refused to give her even a moment of reprieve to catch her breath.

This pattern continued for a while until Chizuru was finally able to catch an attack with her right blade, and move the shorter sword in her left hand to swipe at his hands. Kazuya quickly stepped back just enough to pull back his sword and catch her incoming attack. Then swiftly thrust forward and pressed the tip of his blade to her shoulder.

With his victory, both parties stepped back, the sound of heavy breathing filling the room, and Kazuya explained, “Your defense is good, but your face tenses up right before you try to attack. It makes you too easy to read.”

Chizuru’s eyes went wide at this information, and she quickly stuttered out in clear embarrassment, “I-I didn’t notice…” 

“That’s why I told you.” He responded with a small smirk, “That way you can work on fixing it in the future.” He patted her on the head and said in a softer tone, “You’re done for the day, go sit down.”

With a small nod, Chizuru ran back over to her spot at Yamazaki’s side. Taking a moment to untie and straighten out her kimono before she set sat down and placed her wooden practice swords on the ground in front of her.

Kazuya’s attention turned back to Kaoru, who had been quietly watching from the other end of the otherwise empty training hall. “Kaoru, I hope you were paying attention because we’re going again. This time I want you to focus more on your defense.”

“Right.” was the only response the boy gave as he moved to stand back up and made his way to the center of the training hall. His expression somehow looking more annoyed than it had been at his own defeat earlier.

“I think you fought well.” Yamazaki quietly praised as Kazuya gave the signal to start again.

Though he didn’t look away from the fight, in his peripheral he could see Chizuru fidget nervously and say, “I’m not nearly as skilled as Uncle Kazuya or my brother.”

He thought it might be a little unfair to compare her to either of her male relatives, due to their difference in experience and/or strength, but he decided against disagreeing with her and instead stated, “Still, the fact that you could hold your own so well is impressive in its own right. I was surprised at how skilled you are.” Realizing how that might have sounded, he quickly added, “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I didn’t take you for much of a fighter.”

He heard her giggle beside him, the sound momentarily drawing his attention from the fight, and she agreed, “Well, I guess you have a point there. I don’t really like violence, so even if I know enough to defend myself, I’d probably still try to avoid a fight if I could.”

He nodded, personally thinking that the battlefield certainly didn’t suit such a kind hearted and gentle girl.

Once again there was a quick pained shout from Kaoru, followed by more criticism from his uncle, and Yamazaki momentarily wondered why the clan leader seemed to be so much harder on the boy than on his sister.

The two started once more, and the harsh sound of their swords meeting soon filled the training hall.

A moment of silent observation passed before Yamazaki finally decided to give voice to the lingering question in his mind, “Why didn’t you transform?”

She went quiet, and with a small sideways glance, Yamazaki could see a look of awkward discomfort fill her chestnut eyes as they focused on the wooden flooring. For a second he wondered if she was going to avoid the subject, but just as the thought crossed his mind, she quietly admitted, “I can’t.”

His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to say something. However, the right words evaded him. So instead he turned his attention back to the session in front of him with an understanding, “I see.”

Usually, most oni went through the effort to conceal their true forms because the power they radiate tends to attract other yokai. He’d once heard that hanyo had difficulty shifting between their yokai and human-like forms, but he just assumed that Chizuru was simply more skilled at hiding her oni half than her brother. Though, now he supposed that maybe it was the opposite; she was unable to easily access the strength of her true form while her brother was unable to hide it. That would certainly explain why she was forbidden from leaving the village on her own.

Yamazaki’s face hardened at the realization of how vulnerable this girl was compared to her other clansmen. If he hadn’t protected her the day they met, she very easily could have been killed by that demonic wolf.

Which only made him wonder even more, _what was she doing there that day?_

He was torn away from his thoughts as Kazuya landed a hit on Kaoru’s left arm, which was followed by a shout as the teen gripped it in pain. The clan leader shouted, “I already told you to stop focusing so much on your right!”

“It’s harder than you make it look!” The white haired boy yelled back.

“That’s why you need to _practice_!” The two glared at one another for a moment, before finally Kazuya sighed, and said in a slightly less agitated tone, “That’s enough for today. You should go clean yourself up.”

Kaoru frowned a little at his uncle’s sudden order, but simply nodded and started to prepare himself to leave. Chizuru took that as a cue to stand up, and quickly run over to follow her brother. Her voice was cheerful as she praised, “I think you did really well, Kaoru! You’re definitely getting better!”

“You think so?”

Yamazaki smiled a little as the girl nodded and started enthusiastically going into the details of Kaoru’s various matches with their uncle. Regardless of whatever the boy probably thought of him, Yamazaki couldn’t deny that he was a crucial ally and friend for Chizuru in the otherwise unwelcoming environment of Yukimura village. She obviously cared a lot about him.

“Yamazaki.” Kazuya’s cold voice drew Yamazaki’s attention to find the sharp gaze of the clan leader’s icy blue eyes resting on him. His expression hard and unreadable.

The ninja tensed a little. He really had no clue how to view Yukimura Kazuya. Of course he knew to treat the man with all the respect that a clan leader of his status deserved, but Kazuya had this unapproachable authoritative air to him that made him difficult to speak to. It was a similar feeling that Yamazaki gotten from the late Yase Princess, which he suspected was likely due to the immense physical power they both held from their respective lineages, but worse.

At least he knew that both the late and current Yase Princesses held no ill will towards him, but he wasn’t certain if the same could be said of the head of the Yukimura clan— at least now that he knew the truth as to what happened to the late Yukimura Minako.

With a straight voice that perfectly masked how intimidated he truly felt, Yamazaki answered, “Yes, Yukimura-dono?”

Kazuya’s eyes narrowed, interrogating Yamazaki’s expression and posture scrupulously, leaving the injured man to wonder if he’d done something wrong. Even the twins seemed to notice the sudden tension in the air, as their conversation quickly quieted and they turned to see what was happening.

Then, the older oni’s lips curved into a small smile, and he asked, “How would you like to have dinner with us tonight?”

What?

Yamazaki gaped, and didn’t even have the time to think about hiding his surprised expression. Of all the things that the clan leader could have said, that was the last he expected to hear. “Are you sure that’s okay?” He finally asked.

Kazuya’s smirk widened in amusement. “I don’t see why not. You’re our guest after all, it only makes sense that we should treat you accordingly.”

Yamazaki’s lips pursed, and he stole a quick glance at Chizuru. The girl’s expression quickly lit up with an excited grin, and she enthusiastically nodded at him.

Well, with that, now he felt like he had to accept. How much harm could come from a simple dinner?

* * *

This was a mistake.

Yamazaki quickly regretted his decision to accept Kazuya’s invitation to dinner the moment he had walked into the room and spotted Yukimura Kodo sitting by the udon pot, along with his adoptive son, and the clan leader himself.

He hadn’t seen or heard from the doctor in a week; not since Chizuru had taken over the task of tending to his wounds herself. Apparently she had gone to her uncle after their encounter in the garden, completely preempting her adoptive father’s authority, and asked if she could be put in charge of Yamazaki’s recovery to improve her own medical skills. An excuse, yes, but Yamazaki wasn’t one to complain as he did enjoy her company much more than the alternative.

Though Chizuru’s actions and apparent fondness of the ninja, only seemed to make him even more despicable than he already was in her father’s eyes.

Thankfully, she had spared him the fate of being forced to sit next to the Yukimura doctor, and instead took the empty spot at his side for herself. However, that did place him next to Kaoru, who seemed to be just as displeased with the intrusion on their family meal as his adoptive father. Or so Yamazaki noticed from the way both men seemed to be radiating with a quiet malice as everyone silently ate.

Yamazaki tried to quietly collect what he wanted from the centered oden pot into his small bowl, but as he reached for a fishcake, he was surprised to see it vanish just before his chopsticks made contact. His gaze darted to his left, to see Kaoru chewing on his stolen fishcake, eyes closed in a way that he could only assume was meant to avoid eye contact and play innocent.

_Seriously?_

No matter, Yamazaki decided against calling out the childish provocation, and simply returned his attention to the pot in front of him. There was plenty of food, so it’s not as though a single missed out fishcake was the end of the world.

That is, until it happened again with another fishcake, then a green onion, and finally a piece of tofu.

With his patience gradually being worn down with this fourth offense, Yamazaki did nothing to restrain the annoyed sigh he let out before shooting a pointed glare in the offender’s direction. 

Golden eyes met lavender, and Kaoru frowned as he asked, “What?”

“If you have a problem with me, I’d much rather you state it directly.” Yamazaki stated plainly, holding eye contact with the younger man. “I’m not a fan of these passive aggressive games.”

The guilty teen scoffed, and responded indignantly, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He reached for another fishcake with his chopsticks, and in a sudden impulse of anger, Yamazaki swiftly stole the piece in revenge. Shoving it into his mouth as the boy let out an angry, “Hey!”

“Kaoru, don’t be rude.” Chizuru scolded with a frown.

Kaoru looked momentarily surprised that his sister would side with their human guest over him, but then muttered out a small forced, “Sorry.” while averting his eyes.

Yamazaki could feel his ears burn with embarrassment at having fallen to the same childish level as the teen, and found himself unable to look Chizuru in the eye after behaving like that in front of her and her family. “I’m sorry as well. It was immature of me allow let my temper control me like that.” He apologized quietly.

Kaoru’s golden eyes widened slightly. “You…?”

But before he could finish his thought, Kazuya snorted into the back of his hand in an attempt to hold back his laughter, “Here we have this one” he gestured to his nephew, “acting like a brat, but then you apologize for being immature?” He chuckled again, and continued, “When Yukina said that you had a temper, I was honestly expecting worse. You put up with that longer than I thought you would.”

Wait… had Kazuya been testing him?

While Yamazaki suspected that Chizuru might not have even noticed her brother’s behavior until it had been pointed out, and Kodo certainly wouldn’t have stopped it if he had; he now wondered if Kazuya had indeed noticed the provocative actions of his nephew and did nothing about it to see how Yamazaki would react.

He frowned at the thought, and said defensively, “That was a long time ago.”

It was true that he’d been… temperamental… when he was younger. Most notably being the incident when he once threw a rock at one of the Yase oni after hearing them speaking badly of the late head of the Suzumori clan for her decision to take him in. However, Yamazaki felt as though he’d gotten better control of his anger since then.

“Besides,” he added with a slight hint of indigence in his tone, “as a representative of the Suzumori clan, it’s only natural that I would be on my best behavior in front of the head of the Yukimura clan.”

The older man raised a brow at him smugly, and asked, “Oh? So you’re saying you would’ve called him out sooner if I wasn’t here?”

Yamazaki stiffened at the implication. “That’s not what I...” Then another realization hit him. “Wait, Suzumori-san spoke of me?” When Kazuya had said ‘Yukina’, was he speaking of the late head of the Suzumori clan, Suzumori Yukina? He was a little surprised that his name would ever come up in a conversation with someone as important as the Eastern Blizzard.

“Of course.” Kazuya answered as if it were obvious, “We didn’t get the chance to speak often, but she was a good friend of mine. It’s only natural that I’d be curious about the human child she took in.” A smile pulled at the man’s lips as he added, “Honestly, the way she spoke of you made me wonder if she’d forgotten that you weren’t her actual child.”

“Really?”

At first Yamazaki was surprised, then he grimaced as he wondered what sort of stories the late clan leader had shared of him. He quickly looked down into his bowl in an attempt to hide the blush creeping across his cheeks at the idea of her telling anyone of how he had acted in his rebellious years. Back when he’d been so full of anger, and foolishly obsessed with the idea of killing an opponent that he now knew he wouldn’t have stood a chance of defeating, even if he had gotten the opportunity… Honestly, it was even difficult to think back to that time without cringing.

But then, he frowned as he thought further on the subject… It had always been difficult for Yamazaki to determine how Suzumori Yukina had felt about him. She’d been harsh as a teacher, and often absent in favor of her duties to the Yase Princess, but she had always been incredibly protective of him as he grew up— which was admittedly frustrating at times. He always assumed it was because he was so much weaker than the rest of her clan, but if she truly cared about him the way Kazuya was saying… then it only made him further regret that last conversation he had with her before she left for Kazama village over a month prior.

“Yamazaki-san?” Chizuru’s gentle voice pulled him back to the conversation at hand. He quickly realized that his face must have betrayed his thoughts, as her Chestnut eyes were filled with concern and her lips were pulled into a worried frown.

He offered her a small smile, a poor attempt to mask the bit of weakness he hadn’t meant to show in the first place. Scars this fresh were difficult to hide; but still, as a ninja of the Suzumori clan, and as an unwelcome human with many enemies within his home of Yase village, he knew he couldn’t afford to wear his heart on his sleeve.

“I’m surprised she thought so highly of me, considering all the trouble I’ve given her over the years.” Yamazaki admitted, managing a neutral tone as he met Kazuya’s gaze.

The clan leader’s eyes narrowed slightly, clearly having also noticed his previous reaction, but instead of commenting on it, he smirked and agreed, “Yeah, I was pretty surprised too. Especially since it wasn’t that long ago when Yukina couldn’t stand the sight of humans.” He let out a humored huff, and mused, “To think that same stubborn girl would end up adopting a human child into her own clan.”

“Suzumori-san used to hate humans?” Yamazaki asked in surprise. 

“Hate’s too strong of a word,” Kazuya corrected, “but she didn’t think highly of them either. Like most oni, she was convinced that humans are inferior to us, and that the two shouldn’t interact whatsoever.”

Yamazaki noted how he spoke as if he didn’t agree with that notion either, and asked “Then, what changed?”

Kazuya glanced over to Kaoru, then to Chizuru, and smiled. “She met my sister’s stubborn fool of a husband.”

“You mean our father?!” Chizuru asked with wide eyes, Kaoru's head turning with keen interest to his uncle’s claim as well.

To which Kazuya gaze shot over to Kodo, whose face had already soured from the topic at hand, before he looked back to the three of them and asked, “Did Kodo ever tell you the story of how your father managed to get my permission to marry my sister?” Though his subdued tone indicated he already knew the answer to that question.

The twins both shook their heads.

“Well then, I should probably start with what kind of man your father was then.” A subdued smile then returned to his face as he started to explain, “That man was stubborn as a mountain. Every day he would march to our gates, knowing full well that this was a village of oni, and demanded to speak with me. Regardless of how many times our guards threatened his life, or how cruel the weather turned, he would come back every single day without fail. After a month of this I finally went to go see what he wanted, and you want to know what the first thing he said to me was?”

While all three of them were listening with keen interest, but the twins were especially wide eyed as they both eagerly nodded.

“He got on his hands and knees, and begged, ‘Please allow me to marry your sister!’” Kazuya huffed at the memory, “I told him that if he didn’t leave, I’d turn him into our garden's newest ice statue. Still that man wouldn’t give up. He kept coming back day after day, asking for the same thing over and over.” He sighed, and crossed his arms. “I knew my sister would never forgive me if I killed him, so I eventually told him that if he brought me the down of a basan, silk from silkworm yokai that have feasted on the leaves of a jubokko tree, and a necklace made of tears from a kojin, I would consider letting him marry my sister. Thinking that it would get rid of him.”

Yamazaki could see the impossible nature of the task.

Basan are rare fire breathing chicken yokai that eat cinders and charcoal. Their down can be used to make duvets that never lose their warmth, even during the most bitter of winters. However, basan are incredibly cautious, and if they sense danger approaching, they can vanish into thin air. Even hitting one with a bow and arrow is a near impossible feat, as even the subtle sound of releasing the arrow is enough to alert the yokai and allow it to disappear.

Jubokko are vampiric trees born in the aftermath of bloody human wars. The silk from silkworm yokai that have eaten the leaves of these trees can be used to weave cloth stronger than any armor. However, it’s incredibly dangerous to approach a jubokko tree, as they attack any living creature that gets too close; entrapping them in a cage of sharp straw-like thorns and draining them of their blood.

Of course, these tasks could be overcome by humans with enough skill— such as mercenary Yokai Taijiya. It was the kojin tears that were the biggest obstacle.

Kojin are humanoid shark yokai, whose tears turn into beautiful jewels when they come in contact with the air. A necklace made from those jewels would allow even a human to breath underwater. However, kojin are members of the dragon king’s court, and as such, they live in Ryugu-jo Palace— at the bottom of the ocean. It was not a place that a human could easily enter.

“So you can imagine my surprise when the stubborn fool actually came back a year later with all three of the items I asked for.” Kazuya continued, “And true to my word, I did consider his request. I asked Minako what she wanted, and she told me that she loved him. She knew that if she chose to marry him, she could never come back to Yukimura village, but she didn’t care. She wanted to be at the side of the man she loved.” His reminiscent smile saddened slightly “I knew that it would only hurt her to keep them apart, so in the end I agreed to let them marry.”

“Kazuya-sama,” Kodo’s voice finally cut in after being silent for the whole conversation, “need I remind you that it was lady Minako’s love for that human that got her killed?” His question purposely punctuated by the sound of the doctor placing his bowl on the tatami mat.

Kazuya’s icy blue eyes widened, and for a moment all of the pain he felt at the memory of this story’s ending became completely transparent across his features. Then he locked hard eyes with Kodo, his brows furrowing slightly as he warned, “Kodo…”

This lack of response only seemed to anger the older man further. “Forgive my impertinence, Kazuya-sama, but I don’t understand how you can forgive the humans after what they did to lady Minako?”

“There’s a difference between forgiving those responsible for what happened, and refusing to punish those that weren’t.”

“Then please explain why you would allow a yokai taijiya to enter our village?!” Kodo demanded, clearly growing more irritated, “Especially since the warriors of Yamazaki-kun’s-”

“ **Kodo**!” Kazuya’s hard voice boomed with an unexpected fury, startling everyone else in the room. His ice blue eyes glanced over to Yamazaki, who now felt as though he had intruded on a conversation he hadn’t been meant to hear, then back to the silent Kodo. “Don’t forget that if it hadn’t been for Yamazaki, we might have lost Chizuru too.”

“Yes but…”

“But nothing.” The clan leader cut off, “Yamazaki is our guest, and you will treat him with respect.” his tone left no room for argument.

Kodo went silent for a moment. Before he finally nodded, and apologized with a bow. “You’re right. Please forgive me, Kazuya-sama, I seem to have overstepped my boundaries.”

“So long as you understand.” was the only cold response he got.

After that, Kodo picked his bowl back up, and started to stand before saying, “Well then, if you’ll excuse me, I do have other matters to attend to.” He then stood again and said with another bow, “I'll be taking my leave now.”

His dark brown eyes locked with Yamazaki’s for a moment, and filled with nothing short of a furious hatred, before he walked towards the door in his not-so-subtle attempt to save face. Leaving Yamazaki to fear that this may have just worsened his already poor standing with the doctor.

The moment the shoji door slid open, Chizuru gasped, “Ah! I can’t believe how late it’s gotten!” before quickly finishing off the small remnants of her meal from her bowl. She then promptly stood up and scurried to the door, only barely remembering to bow and excuse herself before she ran down the hall.

“Where does she think she’s going?” Kazuya muttered, seemingly to himself.

“What was that about, Uncle Kazuya?” Kaoru asked, looking to his uncle inquisitively.

“Well, there is a task I’ve been having her do for me for the past couple of weeks…” Kazuya answered, a troubled look of confusion crossing his face, “but she can’t leave the castle by herself, so I don’t see why she felt the need to run off like that.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the loud sound of rushed footsteps returned from the direction Chizuru ran off in, and a moment later the shoji door slid back open, revealing the slightly flustered face of the raven haired girl in question. She bowed deeply and said maybe a little louder than necessary, “Thank you for sharing that story with us, Uncle Kazuya! It made me very happy to learn more about our father.”

She smiled, not even giving anyone the chance to respond, and then ran off once more. Leaving Kazuya to call out, “Wait! Chizuru, where are you-...” He trailed off and sighed at the realization that she was gone, then muttered, “That girl…”

Yamazaki might have found her behavior humorous if it didn’t feel so out of character from what he’d normally seen from the normally so polite girl. “What could be so important for Yukimura-san to be so panicked over?” He asked, turning his attention to the clan leader.

“Yeah. She didn’t tell anything to me about this 'task'.” Kaoru chimed in.

“Well that’s because it’s something you don’t need to know about.” Kazuya stated plainly to his nephew. 

This earned a frustrated scowl from the white haired hanyo, and he responded indignantly, “Fine, but you better not be putting Chizuru in danger!”

“And you better watch your tone.” His uncle countered with a hard glare and ice in his voice, forcing the teen to stiffen slightly. The man then turned his attention to answer Yamazaki’s question. “I can’t go into the details right now, but I can say that this task is important enough that I won’t be able to leave the village until she’s done with it.”

Yamazaki’s brows pressed in confusion as he tried to figure out what task could be so crucial for the clan leader to prioritize over his other tasks and obligations. However, with only the few things that Kimigiku had shared with him on the way, and the occasional tidbits Chizuru had idly mentioned while doing chores, to go off of, he didn’t know enough about the Yukimura clan to accurately gauge what Kazuya could possibly be hinting at.

Kazuya then sighed, and said in an exasperated tone, “Well then, I should probably go and catch up with her before she runs off to far.” before moving to stand and leave.

Yamazaki frowned, thinking how he had more he wanted to ask on the topic, but figured there wasn’t much point in an outsider like him asking if this information was something the older man was reluctant to even share with a member of his own family.

After Kazuya left the room, the two remaining occupants started to move to do the same. Then Yamazaki remembered something and shot up to quickly throw open the door, and called out, “Yukimura-dono!” 

“Hm?” The amber light of the setting sun highlighted the raven haired man’s puzzled expression as he stopped and turned to see what Yamazaki wanted.

“I just remembered that you never did explain how your sister’s husband changed Suzumori-san’s view of humans.” he explained, still curious about the subject.

“Oh, right. I guess Kodo did interrupt before I got to that part, didn’t he?” Kazuya agreed. He then turned to fully face Yamazaki, and crossed his arms as he asked in a humored tone, “You didn’t think that a human could have done all that alone, did you? My sister asked her most trusted friend to keep him from getting himself killed.”

“You don't mean... Suzumori-san?”

Kazuya nodded with a small smile, “Exactly. Though I didn’t learn about that until long after the fact.” He sighed as he turned to leave, and mused to himself in a wistful tone, “I guess she ended up growing just as fond of the stubborn fool as I did.”

And with that, the clan leader turned and vanished around a corner in the same direction that his niece had run off in.

* * *

Fire.

That’s the first thing Yamazaki remembered when he thought about the day he lost his childhood home. Fire, and a loud maniacal laughter that seemed to shake the air and boom across the village.

Through the chaos and screams, the roar of fire and the collapsing of buildings that had their structural integrity eaten away by the greedy flames, he could hear adults trying to regain control over the situation. Orders are issued over the distant sounds of combat. Those who cannot fight are told to flee. Those who can are to divide between the sole attacker who was effortlessly cutting down their most talented warriors for sport, and the invasion of smaller yokai drawn by the smell of death.

He ran. Confused and terrified, he ran with his hands being roughly pulled forward by his parents in their search for safety. The heat from the flames burning his skin and the smoke stinging his teary eyes.

Smoke rose into the air like a pyre, a signal to the uncaring world of the death of so many warriors, who’s skills forged by generations of Yokai Taijiya would soon be lost forever.

The smell of smoke was so thick in the air that it made it difficult to breath.

The smell of... smoke…?

Smoke?!

Yamazaki shot up from his sleep at the faint smell of burning in the air. And a heavy sense of dread settled in his stomach as he realized that the all too familiar scent wasn’t just in his head.

_Something’s wrong._

With that thought, he was quick to move. He hurriedly threw the grey winter kimono he typically wore over his clothing for an additional layer of warmth over his juban; not having the time or patience to assemble the rest of his shozoku in his panicked sense of emergency.

He was grateful that he was trained to keep all of his belongings in one place; that made it easier to grab everything in one go before he bolted out of the room. Though he prayed that he was wrong, this feeling he had in his gut told him that he likely wouldn’t have the time to come back for anything.

Yamazaki ran as fast as his legs would carry him towards the front of the castle. He desperately pleaded that he was mistaken. That it was just a forest fire, or someone had burned something in the kitchen, just please let him be wrong about where this smell was coming from, and more importantly… _why_.

Finally he found a window that gave him a good view of the village, and threw it open as fast as he could manage.

That’s when he saw his worst fear realized.

Yukimura village was burning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I maybe could have afforded at least one more chapter taking place in Yukimura village before I set it on fire. But at the same time, the Yumikura village portion of the story is mostly exposition, which gets just as boring to write as it is to read after a while. I like action, and oh boy, are the next few chapters going to have a lot of that!
> 
> On another note! I also love the stuff I've come up for the story of the twins' parents. It's a very Myth-and-legend-like story, with love at first sight, impossible quest meant to get rid of and potentially kill someone, only for them to come back after completing the quest with some minor divine (or in this case, yokai) intervention, shenanigans, and family betrayals. Not to mention their dad is such a fun character! Unfortunately, Kazuya only knows so much of the story, and he's willing to share even less. 
> 
> I'm low-key considering making that a side story to this fic, but at the same time I don't have the same passion for it. If anyone's interested in seeing more of that story, let me know.


	5. Fall of Yukimura

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for anyone uneasy with blood and minor horror elements, in terms of one scene in this chapter. While my brother (fan of the edgy story writing) said that the scene was pretty tame, I still felt that it was a little on the intense side for my own personal standards. So I thought I might give a warning just in case.
> 
> The experience of this chapter is made better while listening to [It Ends Here](https://youtu.be/e61lRK4gakA) from the Hakuoki KW OST on loop, followed by [Untold fates](https://youtu.be/bXbpf5HK0Rs) after the action calms down.
> 
> I listened to those two songs while writing this and they really helped with the mood of this chapter.

Yamazaki’s eyes were wide with a mixture of shock and horror as he watched the scene below. 

Yukimura village was burning.

The distant but clear sight of battle taking place below, the overpowering smell of smoke and death, the violent flickering flames eating away at the village buildings that Yukimura castle overlooked atop it’s hilltop. He could feel his hands begin to tremble slightly at the sight, and he bit his lower lip just short of hard enough of breaking the skin.

It was all so painfully familiar, that for a moment Yamazaki felt no different from the helpless child he’d been that fateful day he lost everything.

He hardly registered the approaching sound of footsteps from down the hall until he heard a recognizable voice shout, “W-What the hell!?”

Immediately, Yamazaki was pulled from his thoughts as his attention turned toward the source of this voice. He was greeted with a familiar face framed by raven hair, with chestnut eyes wide in a similar state of shock and horror to his own a moment ago.

“Yukimura-san?” he questioned, the name drawing the attention of the new figure, and with further inspection Yamazaki noticed they were dressed in a dark blue mens kimono, and their raven locks were pulled back into a low hanging ponytail that rested loosely against the nape of their neck— different from the way Chizuru usually let her long hair hang freely. “No, you’re... Yukimura Kaoru?”

The boy frowned and furrowed his brows at the questioning nature of his statement, and shot back in an annoyed sarcastic tone, “Well don't sound so disappointed.”

“You look… different?”

His comment only served to further annoy Kaoru, who let out a groan and shouted, “I’m human at night, get over it!” Before his chestnut gaze shot back out the open window and he asked frantically, “What’s going on? Who’s attacking us?!”

Yamazaki’s brows furrowed as he thought that his short answer only left more questions, but the boy had a point— this wasn’t the time to worry about appearances.

With a simple nod he looked back onto the distant scene. The fire hadn’t yet reached the castle, but it was getting closer and closer as time passed. Though it did seem like there were villagers trying to slow the spread of the flames, the presence of the unknown attackers and the intense battles going on only seemed to complicate the task. 

“I don’t know who they are, but I suspect they’re likely here for the…” Yamazaki started, lavender eyes going wide as a realization hit him. With a sudden panic in his voice, he looked back to the younger man, and demanded, “Where is your sister? Is she safe?!” 

Clearly not expecting the intensity of his tone, Kaoru stuttered out a frantic, “I- I don’t know! She wasn’t in her room when I checked.”

“Just as I thought.” He muttered, furthering Kaoru’s confusion. He thought back to that hint that Kazuya had given him before at dinner; a task that rendered the head of the Yukimura clan unable to leave his village until it was complete? There was only one thing he could imagine that could be of so much importance. “Though I can’t be certain of this, whoever this foe is, they’re likely after the Shikon Jewel. If that is the case, then Yukimura-san is in danger!”

“Wait wait wait. The Shiki- _what_?” Kaoru asked, his voice distressed and confused, “What are you talking about?! And what does that have to do with Chizuru?!”

Right, it’s not as though the boy had been told any of this by his uncle. It’s possible that Yukimura Kazuya wanted to keep knowledge of the jewel, and it’s presence within the village, a closely guarded secret for the safety of his clan and his niece— if she really was involved, that is.

Carefully choosing his words, Yamazaki quickly explained, “The Shikon Jewel is an item that Kimigiku-san and myself had been tasked to deliver to the Yukimura clan in order for it to be purified. I suspect that the task that Yukimura-dono said he’s been having your sister do at night is likely connected to that.” He looked the younger man straight into his chestnut eyes, now wide with terrified realization at what he was saying, and asked in an urgent tone, “Do you know of anywhere that they may have taken the jewel to be purified?”

Kaoru’s wide gaze hardened, and he pursed his lips as he thought for a moment. Then a realization his him as he looked back up to Yamazaki and suggested, “Maybe she’s at the sacred spring?”

“Could you please take me there?”

Kaoru hesitated a moment at the question, and moved his hand to one of the swords at his hip— which, like his uncle, he wore one on each side of his body— and he nodded. Hardly giving any warning as he spun around and bolted down the hallway, and shouted over his shoulder, “You better keep up. I’m not waiting!” 

“Understood.” was the only response Yamazaki offered as he quickly followed close behind the younger man.

* * *

Chizuru sighed as she pulled her hands from the cool water, looking down into her small bowl, to see that the water’s color had hardly changed since the last time she had surfaced. She frowned at the sight, and briefly directed her gaze skyward.

The crescent moon was hardly a sliver of a line in the starry black sky tonight, and tomorrow would be the new moon as well. It was only natural that the Moon spring, which drew its power from the moon, would be slow on a night like this.

With another sigh, she looked back towards the jewel and asked, “Would you please be a little more cooperative? The sooner we finish this, the sooner you’ll get rid of me.”

Though, naturally, the object didn’t respond, she still liked to think it could understand her. It certainly had some sense of a will, after all. Constantly looking for weaknesses in her strength of will, trying to tempt her with her own negative emotions, and once it had even lashed out at her when she tried to push it too hard. She’d woken up the next morning with her uncle frantically shaking her out of her unconscious state on the rocky ground, and she’d had the worst headache for the rest of the day after that.

It had taken a lot of convincing for him to let her do this on her own after that. Normally Kazuya would escort her to the sacred spring once night fell, and then return to the castle to get some sleep, only coming just before dawn to retrieve her. But the knowledge that the jewel could actually hurt her had him in a state, and she had to promise to be much more careful from now on to convince him to not ruin his own sleeping schedule just to watch over her at night. The village needed him during the day, and she couldn’t stand being the reason for him to neglect his responsibilities, or worse, his health.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes once more and dipped her hands back into the cool water. The image of the swirling mass of dark energy that filled the jewel pictured before her. Carefully, she reached her hands into the putrid black substance, and gently coaxed out a steady stream of the inky liquid. 

This was another thing she had learned about the jewel after working with it for so long. At first she thought she would have to fight it, to claw at it and painfully force it to release its malevolent energy. But in some ways, the jewel in this state was like a caged animal looking for its chance to escape, and that hostile mentality of hers is what had gotten her bitten, so-to-speak. She found that it was much easier, and faster, to treat it kindness and patience. To let it release its malice on it’s own.

That being said, even this method was incredibly slow tonight, the otherwise thick and steady stream she would normally expect was nothing more than a small trickle under the light of the crescent moon. Honestly, she wondered if it would even be worth the effort to come here on the night of the new moon at this rate.

The only comfort in this situation was the fact that she was so near the sacred waters of the Moon Spring. Chizuru found that she actually quite liked this place. The power that the spring gave off was warm and comforting, like a mother’s protective embrace, and sometimes she felt as though she could just let all of her worries melt away when she was here. 

But then, she felt that power go prickly and agitated… No, it turned _hostile_. And before she even had the time to think, she suddenly withdrew her hands and impulsively moved her body. Rolling to the side and onto her feet just quick enough to hear the sound of glass breaking.

When Chizuru looked back to the bowl she had placed the jewel into, she was surprised to see that it had been cut clean in half. Its murky contents spilled onto the rocky floor, and the spherical jewel beginning to roll off in some direction.

From the split in the bowl, she followed a thin line in the hard rocky floor to where her body had been only a moment prior and three other thin but deep gashes had cut into the hard surface along side it. Chizuru paled at the realization that if she had moved even a moment later, she likely would have been cut to pieces.

Had the spring… warned her of the attack?

“My, my. I’m impressed, little bird.” A taunting masculine voice cut through the air. Drawing her attention to see a man floating in the air well above her own standing level towards the entrance to the spring… or… perhaps the right word was he looked as though he were standing on an invisible flooring.

Even without the poor lighting of the crescent moon above, his features were nearly impossible to make out under the silver mask that covered the upper half of the stranger’s face, which was partially obscured by the hood of his tattered black cloak that hid his hair and figure well. 

Despite not being able to see his face, she could practically hear the sneering smile in his voice as he hollowly praised, “You’re much faster than I expected you to be.”

Chizuru tensed at the sight of this stranger. How did he get in here? What about the guard at the entrance? And the barrier? 

Despite the fear and confusion she felt, Chizuru managed to spit out a hostile, “Who are you?!”

She could barely see the wicked grin that crossed the man’s lips as he answered, “Who I am isn’t important, my cute little bird. All that matters is you have something that doesn’t belong to you,” With a single beckoning motion of his index finger, she could sense the jewel suddenly being pulled towards him. “And I’ve come to take it back.”

“No!” Chizuru shouted as tried to move to grab it, but found her body frozen stiff, held firmly in place by some strange force. Helpless to do anything as the jewel rushed towards the stranger, pulled by the string that she used to tie the object around her neck.

But then she felt the air grow cold, and in a flash of white and a glint of steel, the movement was stopped. An oni stood between them in his true form, with two swords drawn, and a cold fury silently coming off of him as he glared at the intruder. 

“Uncle Kazuya!?” She gasped.

His long white hair was messy and disheveled, and he looked like he had only just barely managed to sloppily throw on his white kimono and black hakama after just waking up.

What was he doing here though? Had the guard alerted him to the intruder?

No, she doubted that he would have been able to make it here that quickly in that case. Something else was wrong. She could tell that he was both furious and terrified from the way the jewel— which he managed to catch and hide in the folds of his kimono— was reacting to and reflecting his emotions.

“Are you okay?” he asked, not even sparing her a backwards glance as he kept his golden eyes trained on the intruder.

“Y-yes, but I can’t move!” She quickly answered, “That man’s after the jewel!” 

“I’m aware.”

Their exchange made the intruder burst into laughter, and he sneered, “Well well, what a pleasure to finally meet the infamous Eastern Blizzard. To think that in the midst of your village burning to the ground, your first instinct is to run to the protection of your sweet little caged hanyo?” He laughed once more. “I almost feel sorry for the Yukimura clan for having to put up with such a pathetic leader.”

“Burning?” Chizuru repeated, her wide golden eyes shooting to her uncle in a panic, and desperately hoped that he would deny the claim.

However, he gave no readable reaction to the strangers accusation either way, and instead demanded, “Who are you, and how did you get past the barrier?”

“What barrier?” the man asked in overly feigned ignorance, “I certainly never noticed one. Who knows, maybe I have some Yukimura blood in me that not even I knew about?” 

Through the jewel, Chizuru could feel Kazuya’s anger spike at that comment, and he suddenly leapt at the stranger, the strength of his action cracking the stone ground below him.

However, with only a swift wave of his arm, not even once making contact with the clan leader, the masked man sent him flying back toward the ground with a powerful thud. Eliciting a surprised grunt from her uncle as he harshly collided with the cold hard ground.

“Uncle Kazuya!” Chizuru cried out, pulling against whatever force was holding her. Yet no matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t break free despite the heightened strength of her true form.

“Now that’s enough of that!” The intruder scolded with crossed arms as Kazuya moved to stand on his feet, and Chizuru noticed the thin line of blood running from a cut on his cheek. She could feel her stomach twist at the sight. This man hadn’t even touched her uncle, how had he managed to cut him?

With a wave of the man’s hand, Chizuru grunted as she felt something tighten around her neck, and she suddenly found it difficult to breath. “If you don’t want your precious little bird to lose more than just her wings,”

The force around her neck tightened, and without even the freedom to try and free herself from its choking hold, her eyes watered. The sight of which, making Kazuya’s golden eyes go wide with terror.

“Then, I’d suggest you hand over the jewel.” 

She struggled, instinctively trying to move her hands to claw at whatever force had such a powerful hold over her neck. However even with her full strength, she couldn’t break free. Her actions only serving to tighten the hold of whatever was restraining her, and she could feel something sharp dig into her wrists; hardly even noticing the thin trail of blood that started to flow down her arms through her own panic.

Kazuya’s brows knitted into a serious expression at the sight, and his golden gaze scanned the area around him cautiously. Then he muttered, “So that’s what’s going on.” With a sudden movement of his arm and a swift twist of his wrist, a thick line of ice shot from the tip of Kazuya’s blade towards the man, who only managed a gasp before being frozen solid where he stood. 

Wasting no time, Kazuya quickly ran over towards Chizuru, and swiped at the air around her. The force of whatever was holding her in place immediately disappearing as she fell to her knees and gasped for air. 

Her first thought to go for her neck, and her eyes went wide as she felt something. “String?” She questioned, pulling a thin, barely visible, string away from her neck. Similar strands hung from the sleeves of her kimono, and dangled from her wrists— still wet with small scarlet beads of blood. 

Before she had a chance to ask Kazuya about it, he was already kneeling before her as he shoved something he’d pulled from his kimono into her hand, and frantically explained, “There’s a river to the west of the village. If you follow it downstream, you’ll find a village of Kawauso*. I want you to show them this bag and ask for Kinu. She’ll keep you safe.”

Curiously, Chizuru glanced downward at the items he had shoved into her palm, and saw the jewel and an indigo drawstring bag with the design of a silver tsubaki flower embroidered into it. With a worried frown, she asked, “What about you?”

He shook his head, and explained in a serious tone, “That ice won’t hold for long, and I can’t fight and protect you at the same time.”

“But-”

“But nothing.” He interrupted, his voice firm, “You aren’t a child anymore, Chizuru. I taught you to fight so that I knew you would be safe without me to protect you.”

“But I’m worried about you!” She shouted with watery eyes, making him jolt in surprise.

His golden gaze then softened, and he said in a much more gentle tone, “Don’t be. I promise to come and find you once this is done.” his hand moved up to brush her white hair out of her face in a surprising gesture of affection, “So long as you promise me that you’ll keep yourself safe too.”

“I promise.”

He smirked and nodded. “Good. I’m going to hold you to that.” Before standing up and ordering, “Now go!”

Without a second thought, she nodded and shot up, running away from the spring as fast as she could.

Kazuya watched his niece disappear down the torii lined path with a small smile on his face.

“Worried, huh?”

Despite their differences, that girl really did remind him so much of his sister. Compassionate to a fault, even when she should be worrying about herself instead of others.

Though, as the intruder’s ice began to crack, he couldn’t help but be grateful that Chizuru was much more willing to listen to his orders than Minako had ever been. That woman would have insisted on staying with him and helping him fight to the bitter end, regardless of what he said on the matter.

Chunks of ice were sent flying and the man gave an unfazed stretch. “Well done, well done! I’m impressed that you figured out my trick.” A wicked grin split the strangers cheeks to expose two large monster-like fangs, as he continued, “Not that it’ll do you much good in the end.”

Kazuya’s glare narrowed, and he stayed silent as he took an offensive stance. The cold air around him swirling into a violent storm of frozen shards that matched his icy fury.

“Oh, how scary!” the intruder exclaimed in a mocking tone. “I guess I’m going to have to take this seriously if I want to wrap this up quickly.” His body then began to contort and expand under his cloak, “After all, I need to go find that cute little bird before she flies too far away.”

“You won’t get the chance!” Kazuya shouted, before leaping at his opponent.

Now that he was free to fight without holding back, this man was going to regret making an enemy of the Eastern Blizzard.

* * *

The clacking sound of wooden geta* hitting the stoney torii lined path filled the air as Chizuru ran as fast as her feet would carry her towards the village.

Her stomach twisted with worry as she noticed the heavy smell of smoke that clung to the air. And as she neared the final gate that separated the sacred Moon Spring from Yukimura village, the dancing flickers of orange and yellow lights— dulled by the thick fog that enveloped her and her surroundings— served to lend more credibility to that strange man’s claim from before.

The moment Chizuru passed under that last gate, her eyes went wide with horror at the sight in front of her.

“No way…” her voice was small and fragile as she spoke.

Yukimura village was burning. Her home since she was young… was burning.

The iron-like smell of blood quickly hit her, and her attention was quickly drawn to a mess of red just to the side of the scarlet gate as she realized she had her answer to the unspoken question as to what would have happened to her if she hadn’t dodged that attack earlier.

From the spear lying on the ground, a disembodied hand still gripped tightly onto the shaft of which, she could tell that this pile of diced flesh had once been the warrior tasked with guarding the entrance to the sacred spring. Chizuru gulped at the gruesome sight, and quickly averted her eyes. Her hand over her mouth in an attempt to keep herself from vomiting.

She hoped that her uncle was going to be okay.

The distant sound of screaming, yelling, and the clash of metal alerted her to the battles happening inside of the village. People were fighting, and dying, in those flames… Her family could be among them. 

Kazuya had told her to run to safety, but the image of Kaoru, her father, or even Yamazaki who she had grown so close to, looking for her in that chaos. She couldn’t stand the thought of any of them being the next victim. Especially considering the fact that she knew that Kaoru was so much weaker at night than during the day, and that Yamazaki was still injured.

Without a moment to lose, she shoved the jewel into the pouch that her uncle had given to her, and hid it within the folds of her kimono. Then Chizuru took a deep breath, and quickly slapped her cheeks in an attempt to steel herself.

Then she was running again into the flame ridden village, and past the ongoing battles between her clansmen and these strange attackers. She needed to get to the castle. Aside from maybe her father, who still hadn’t been given the full details of the task Kazuya had entrusted her with, none of them had any reason to expect her to leave the castle grounds at this time of night. They were probably still looking for her there.

Chizuru was about to turn around a building when she gasped and stopped as a man was suddenly sent flying and landed on the ground in front of her. Before she even had the time to register what had happened, an oni man lept on top of the thrown ragdoll body, and with his foot on the person's chest, he lifted his kanabo* high above his head. 

She barely managed to close her eyes just before the weapon was brought down onto the man’s skull. However the gruesome crunch of bone breaking made her flinch, once, twice, three times, as the ground shook with each powerful impact the thick club made. 

Only after the brutal sound was replaced with heavy panting from the oni man, did Chizuru dare to open her eyes. Hesitantly, she looked at the warrior, and recognized him as one of the higher ranked village guards. 

The oni man seemed to notice her staring as he wiped some of the splattered blood off of his face, and asked with furrowed brows, “Aren’t you that hanyo girl Yukimura-sama is so fond of? What the hell are you doing here?!”

Instead of answering his question, Chizuru asked, “What’s going on?! Who are these people?”

“I don’t know, but this is no place for kids! These soldiers aren’t-”

He was suddenly cut off with a grunt as a blade pierced through his chest from below, right through his heart. Both of their eyes were quickly drawn to the broken and mangled arm holding the sword, lifted by the “corpse” of the person he had just defeated. 

Chizuru screamed, and the guard stumbled backwards away from the body, choking out a weak disbelieving, “H-how?” before collapsing onto the ground.

The now headless opponent slowly lifted it’s broken body off of the ground. It’s sword arm awkwardly bent at odd angles with bone poking out from it’s torn flesh, and it looked as though it’s left side had been crushed under its shattered and falling pieces of armor. The horrifying sight alone making Chizuru’s eyes water with terror as she slowly backed away. 

The inhuman creature followed, moving in unnatural jerking motions as it quickly closing the distance between them. It’s sword swinging at her in wide formless arcs that Chizuru was able to dodge fairly easily. However, she knew that she would have difficulty keeping up with this speed in her human form.

She dodged one attack, and ducked below another, before running past the opponent in an attempt to continue towards her goal to get to the castle. She didn’t have any weapons to defend herself, or the time to mess around with this thing.

Despite herself, Chizuru spared a single backwards glance to see if it was following her, and was shocked to see the terrifying creature keeping pace with her despite her running at her top speed in her true form.

Unfortunately, this action cost her in the form of her tripping over the arm of one of her fallen clansmen. With a shriek, she fell forward and landed harshly on the ground.

She quickly rolled onto her back to face the creature, and gasped as the sword just barely missed her body and swung down, burying deeply into the ground where her prone torso had just been a moment before. 

Terror filled every ounce of her body.

_It’s trying to kill me._

With a whimper, she pitifully crawled back away from the creature as it raised sword once again. The action felt painfully slow, as if mocking her helplessness.

_I’m scared. I don’t want to die here!_

_**Then use the jewel.** _

_The jewel?_ Without thinking, her hand moved to find the indigo bag she’d hidden in her kimono earlier. Maybe if she used the jewel’s power to-?

Just as she started to consider the idea, a familiar masculine voice called out, “Chizuru!” and in that same moment, the sword swung downwards towards her defenseless body. 

However, a chain then wrapped around the blade, and it was tugged violently to the side, just barely grazing past her shoulder.

A moment later, Kaoru’s sword dug into the broken arm of the attacker, severing it, and Yamazaki drove the blade of his kusarigama into its heart. But these attacks hardly phased the creature, and it instead tried to grab at Yamazaki’s neck with its remaining arm. With a surprised shout, the ninja then additionally used his elbow and free hand to roughly push it to the ground.

Both men looked to be in a similar state to her uncle, hastily dressed with disheveled hair, as though they had only just woken up. Kaoru in his preferred dark blue winter kimono, and Yamazaki dressed in the dark grey one she’d often seen him wearing over his other clothing. Although the latter seemed to also have put on the long black scarf and thin black fukumen mask from his shozoku she’d remembered him wearing the day they’d met.

“Kaoru!? Yamazaki-san!?” She gasped out, her voice a mixture of both relief and shock.

“Chizuru, are you okay?!” Kaoru asked frantically as Yamazaki took a moment to free the chain of his kusarigama from the opponent's sword, and inspect his weapon with a look of confusion showing across his face— or what she could see of it.

Chizuru quickly nodded, and asked as Kaoru reached his hand out to help her up, “What are you two doing here?”

“We-” Yamazaki started, but his voice cut off as soon as he looked in her direction, lavender eyes going wide in surprise as he looked over her form.

“Yamazaki said you were in danger, so we came to find you.” Kaoru answered, “I guess it’s a good thing we showed up when we did.”

“But how did you know I was in danger?” Her question directed at Yamazaki.

The ninja in turn seemed to quickly get over whatever had him in his state of shock before, and answered. “You could call it a hunch.” His gaze hardening as he continued, “There’s actually something I wanted to confirm with you. Yukimura-san, you have the Shikon jewel, don’t you?” 

Her golden eyes widened slightly at his question, “How did you…?”

That seemed to be enough confirmation for him, as he nodded curtly and said, “Just as I thought.”

She was about to ask what he meant by that, but the idea was cut by a shriek as something suddenly pulled on her kimono, and she looked down to see the headless and beaten creature attempting to move to stand up with the fabric of her clothes bundled tightly in it’s bloodied hand.

Kaoru was quick to act with frustrated kick, sending the creature tumbled roughly back to the ground. Before shooting a pointed look to Yamazaki and demanding, “What are these things?!”

Yamazaki’s brows furrowed slightly, and he answered, “I’m not sure, but I suspect they’re after the jewel.” His lavender gaze quickly turned to Chizuru, and he suggested in a serious tone, “We should move. It’s not safe here.”

She was suddenly reminded of her uncle’s instructions, and started nervously, “The river!” When Yamazaki and Kaoru both gave her confused looks, she elaborated, “We need to go to the river west of the village! Uncle Kazuya said that there’s someone in the Kawauso village downstream from here that can keep us safe.” 

Yamazaki nodded, and looked to Kaoru as he asked, “Do you know the way?”

The younger of the two nodded back, and said quickly, “Yeah, I think so. Follow me!” before running off. Chizuru and Yamazaki following closely after him.

As they ran, Chizuru noticed that various yokai had managed to make their way into the village amidst the chaos. Large black birds with great powerful talons circled the smoky air above the village, small red and grey demon-like creatures were already feasting on the bodies of the dead, and on the burning rooftops she could see large furry animals watching her with wide glowing red eyes.

Her stomach twisted as she realized that these must be the lesser yokai that had gathered around the village these past couple of weeks, drawn to the jewel’s corrupted power, that her uncle had warned her about. 

She prayed that this wasn’t some ill fated omen of the fate of their village.

* * *

They continued to run through the dense frozen forest until the faint sound of running water in the distance alerted the group that they were nearing the river that Kazuya had spoken about.

Kaoru came to a stop— with Chizuru and Yamazaki pausing as well— bending over and panting heavily as he asked, “Can… can we… take a… a break?”

Yamazaki looked back towards the village. They’d run far enough that the violent orange and yellow hues of the flames that engulfed and attacked the village buildings had faded to a warm orange glow just beyond the distant trees.

“Very well, we’ve put enough distance between us and the village for a short rest.” He answered, feeling his own stamina and adrenaline rush waning as well. 

With that, the younger man seemed all too happy to find himself a log to sit on. Yamazaki tried to continue, “However we shouldn’t stay in one place for-” but stopped as he heard a quiet thump hit the ground behind him.

“Yukimura-san!?” “Chizuru!?” both men yelled in a mutually panicked tone as they turned to see Chizuru collapsed to her knees onto the snowy ground.

“I-I’m okay.” She stuttered out, wrapping her shaky arms around herself as she lowered her head. “I… I just need a moment.” Her voice cracked a little, and she sounded as though she was on the verge of tears.

Yamazaki’s heart dropped. She looked so small and fragile in this moment, curled in on herself and just barely holding back her tears of shock, fear, and sorrow.

She reminded him so much of that small child he’d been back on the day his own home had been burned to the ground. He remembered how helpless, scared, angry, confused, and alone he had felt that day. How hard he had tried to be strong in the face of those emotions, and how they had eaten away at him for years afterwards. 

He looked to Kaoru, hoping that he might be able to console her in some way as her brother. However, it seemed like a similar state of shock and realization was settling on the boy as well as his grim expression focused on the ground in front of him; albeit not as harshly.

Yamazaki knelt down before Chizuru and reached out his hand, only to stop as he noticed it trembling as well.

He’d done well to fool even himself up to this point, to let his goal of finding her keep him focused on his mission to keep the jewel safe. But reliving that traumatic experience all over again hadn’t been easy on him.

However, these two were barely keeping it together as it is, and without anyone else to rely on, it fell to him to be their support. He needed to be strong for their sakes, and he couldn’t afford to wallow in the past right now. With a deep breath, Yamazaki closed his eyes and pushed his unpleasant thoughts and fears aside.

He then cautiously reached out his hand to gently rest on her shoulder, the action immediately making her watery eyes shoot up towards him. With a single bandaged finger to hook over the edge of his black fukumen mask, he pulled the fabric down to expose his mouth as he spoke with a gentle and quiet tone, “I understand how scared and confused you must be feeling right now... Better than most would actually…” he held her glistening golden gaze as he continued, “and as someone who has gone through this before, I want you to know that it’s okay to cry if you need. You aren’t alone, and you don’t have to shoulder these feelings by yourself.”

Though his words were spoken to her, he hoped that they reached her brother, who was silently listening, as well.

She didn’t say anything, but he could see her lower lip begin to quiver as her hands gripped tightly onto the fabric of her sleeves. The action temporarily drawing his gaze, and he noticed something red staining her wrist.

Blood?

Hesitantly, he reached for her hand, and carefully coaxed it away from her small trembling body. His hold gentle and delicate, where if she chose to retreat from him, he would allow it. However, she did not. He turned her hand in his to expose her palm skyward, and gently brushed the bandaged fingers of his injured hand over the damaged skin of her inner wrist in inspection.

The wound had already closed due to her healing abilities, but the dark starts of bruising and stains of red clinging to her pale skin proved enough evidence that something had happened before she had met up with the two of them. 

“You’re hurt.” His quiet observation was filled with remorse as he flipped her cold hand in his palm once more to hold and warm within his own. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get to you sooner, Yukimura-san.” His lavender eyes looked back up, and firmly held her gold watery ones, as he added in a resolute tone, “But if it is of any comfort, I vow to protect you from this point forward.” He gave her hand a light squeeze, “No matter what happens, I swear that I will do all within my power to keep you safe.” 

He turned his head to look to Kaoru, and added firmly, “Both of you.” Though he couldn't make out the boy’s expression from his position, the small inhale that followed told him that he’d surprised the younger man with his words.

That seemed to be the breaking point for the girl, as soon the tears began to overflow. Her free hand moving to her face to wipe at the wet drops that rolled down her pale cheeks. “I-I’m sorry…” She choked out between sobs, “I was- was so scared! And when I- I thought…!”

She looked at him, her puffy golden eyes betraying all of the pain she was holding. “Yamazaki-san, I-... I left him behind…!” She sniffed, and before he could ask who she was talking about, she shouted, “I left… left Uncle Kazuya! He-... he came to save me, and… and I left him be-behind!” She chewed on her bottom lip and tightly closed her eyes, her shoulders and chest jerking with each violent sob and huff that escaped her lungs, and Yamazaki couldn’t resist the overwhelming urge to reach his free hand up to wipe away her tears.

“Shh.” He soothed, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as the knuckle of his free bandaged hand catching a tear just before it rolled down her cheek. “You did the right thing, Yukimura-san. You escaped and found me and your brother. You’re safe now. I’m sure your uncle could ask for nothing else.”

“B-but…” she sniffled, “What if… what if he gets hurt… or-?” 

His gaze softened. Of course that’s what she was worried about. “Don’t worry, Yukimura-san.” He whispered in a gentle tone, looking back towards the orange hue in the sky towards Yukimura village as the sound of broken sobs and sniffles continued to fill the air. “There is a reason why Shuten-douji never attacked the Yukimura clan. They are strong, and Yukimura Kazuya is even stronger. They will not fall here.”

He looked back to her, and offered a small gentle smile as he asked “For now, it would be best to trust in that fact and focus on getting all of us to safety, wouldn’t you agree?” 

She blinked at him, her watery golden eyes wide for a moment, before she finally returned his smile with a sniff and a small nod. Retreating her hand from his to dry her face with the ends of her sleeves. 

Once he had determined she was ready for it, he stood up, and offered his hand to help her do the same.

Chizuru gratefully accepted, and said quietly, “Thank you for that, Yamazaki-san.”

He wordlessly smiled at her in response, and she returned the action. 

“So, are we leaving now?” Kaoru, who had been mostly quietly listening for the entirety of their exchange, asked as he dried his eyes as well.

As the boy approached them, Yamazaki took a moment to look over the twins, and frowned slightly.

There was still the blaring question in his mind as to why their appearances had nearly swapped from how he had grown used to seeing them. He likely wouldn’t have even recognized Chizuru before if her brother hadn’t pointed her out. And while he did have a guess as to what was going on, based off of Kaoru’s hasty explanation from before— he knew that now wasn’t the time for such questions.

No, what was bothering him was the fact that Chizuru didn’t seem to have a weapon on her. The main reason he had been surprised to learn she knew how to fight was because unlike her brother, he had never once seen her carrying a sword. He understood that she disliked violence, and had likely felt safe within the castle walls. But even now, in the midst of this crisis, she was unarmed. That had almost gotten her killed.

“Not yet.” He answered, reaching behind his back for his sword, and held it out to Chizuru. A quiet, “Here.” following as she eyed the weapon curiously.

Like most of the Suzumori, Yamazaki carried a fairly decent arsenal of weapons he was trained in on his person at all times. He naturally preferred his kusarigama, given its versatility and connection to his past, but it wasn’t his only option in the heat of battle. 

With a quick uncertain glance back at him, Chizuru took the straight edged sword from his hand. Partially unsheathing the weapon to reveal a veiny pattern of stained toxic violet along the blade’s edge.

“This is the Dokujin,” He explained, “a sword intended for the assasionation of strong yokai. It’s blade has a curse that will turn the life force of any yokai it cuts against itself, effectively poisoning them with their own power.” He watched as her face tensed, and he frowned slightly. “I understand that this isn’t the type of weapon you were trained to weild, but I still think you should have something to defend yourself with.”

“I understand, Yamazaki-san. Thank you.” She responded with a small forced smile as she sheathed the weapon once more, but her golden eyes still showed a hint of uncertainty.

Just as Chizuru started to move to hang the weapon from her obi, a loud sigh came from her brother, and Kaoru suddenly snatched the sword from his sister’s had with an almost frustrated, “Give me that.”

“Kaoru what-?” 

Her confused protest was interrupted as the boy explained, “This sword isn’t suited for someone like you. It’s not like you’ll attack anyone with it in the first place.” as he started to remove the two swords hanging from his obi. He then offered the weapons to his sister, and added in a stubborn tone, “Here. You’ve always been better at the two sword style than me anyway.”

Chizuru seemed to catch on quickly, and nodded with a small grateful smile as she took the swords from his hand.

Yamazaki couldn’t help the small upward pull of his own lips at the thinly veiled kind gesture as well. He was satisfied so long as both siblings had the means to defend themselves, but he was grateful that Chizuru seemed more comfortable with this outcome. 

But his smile quickly faded as he proceeded to explain, “Yukimura-kun,” the name immediately making the boy’s face sour into a cold glare is his attention turned to Yamazaki, “I should warn you that the dokujin’s poison curse isn’t strong enough to kill an enemy with small cuts. You’ll need to stab it into a central point of the body for the curse to become lethal, otherwise the most you’ll accomplish is slowing down an opponent and potentially angering them.”

Kaoru looked at the sword, then back to him, and nodded. Muttering, “I’ll keep that in mind.” before he hung the weapon from his obi.

With that out of the way, Yamazaki glanced towards the distant orange glow and rising smoke coming from Yukimura village. With a small frown, he suggested in a serious tone, “We should get moving. If we stay in one place for too long, the jewel will likely attract more yokai to the area.”

Chizuru seemed to agree with the suggestion with a nod and quiet, “R-right.”

However, her brother frowned and complained, “You know, you still haven’t explained what this jewel is or why it’s so important?”

“We can discuss that later, once we’re out of harm's way.” Yamazaki made sure to leave no room for argument in his tone.

Kaoru scowled slightly and gave a frustrated huff, but didn’t push the subject any further.

As the three of them started to follow the gentle flow of the river, Yamazaki noticed that Chizuru quietly shuffled to walk closer to him. A nervous look showing in her still puffy golden eyes as she gripped tightly onto a lump hidden under her kimono.

With a quiet sigh, he looked upward. With the faint moonlight from the barely visible crescent moon above making it difficult to see, and with all the dangers he knew that lurked outside the safety of Yukimura village, he hoped for all of their sakes that the refuge they were looking for wasn’t too much further ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kawauso- Japanese river otter, which was recently declared extinct.
> 
> Geta- Wooden flip-flop-like sandals with an elevated base.
> 
> Kanabo- a spiked war club made from wood or iron (iron in this case). Typically depicted as an oni's preferred weapon of choice in older Japanese artwork and stories.
> 
> \---
> 
> Though I didn't bring much attention to it, Kaoru started crying around the same time that Chizuru did, just quietly. Yamazaki just wasn’t playing close attention because 1, Kaoru still doesn’t really like him and Yamazaki’s aware of this (he’s respectfully giving the kid his space), and 2, he was too busy focusing on Chizuru— who was much more visibly upset.
> 
> I don’t really like Yamazaki calling Kaoru,”Yukimura-kun” but it’s almost unavoidable given how many Yukimuras there are at this point in the story. The only alternative is calling him “Yukimura Kaoru” like he does for Kodo in-game, which would get old really quickly to me.
> 
> Tbh just deciding what Yamazaki would call each member of the Yukimura family has just been a big headache for me.
> 
> Out of all the Yukimura family, Chizuru is the least deserving of the honorific “kun” given she’s the only girl in the mix, despite that being what Yamazaki calls her in game (though I feel like that anyone who calls her Yukimura-kun in game does so with the intention of hiding her gender). But “chan” feels almost too cutesy for Yamazaki to start off with, and I feel like he would want to be respectful and polite towards her as the Yukimuras’ guest, so I chose “san”. Unfortunately, that does mean that Kaoru can’t also be “san” because **that** would get really confusing really fast…
> 
> I kind of wish that Yamazaki wasn’t as polite as he is because just being able to call the twins by their given names would make things so much easier


	6. Senbiki Okami

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A familiar yokai returns, and the group is introduced to Kinu the weaver.

The crunch of footsteps against the dry winter snow filled the air as the group followed along the gentle burble of the river’s steady stream. An odd uncomfortable silence weighed heavily on them as they moved forward with only a small sliver of moonlight to act as their guide, as they had neither the means nor time to craft a torch or paper lamp to guide their way. But still, they pressed on in the hope of finding safety in the village Kazuya had mentioned.

Behind her, Chizuru could hear her brother’s poor attempts to keep his shivering from being noticed. A subtle glance backwards revealed the sight of Kaoru’s arms wrapped tightly around his form, his body trembling occasionally with his chestnut eyes pointed at the ground below to keep himself from tripping on the uneven path cluttered with stray roots and dried branches. 

The hanyo girl momentarily considered offering him her outermost layer as an additional source of warmth, since she figured he’d probably appreciate it more than her right now. While the winter chill wasn’t _comfortable_ for her as she was, she knew that she would fare better now than she would in her human form. Something about the awakened oni blood coursing through her veins made her more resilient in many ways, and that included against the cold. Kaoru, on the other hand, wasn’t used to being exposed to the chill of the bitter winter night in his weaker human form.

But with a small sigh and a frown, she decided against it. Knowing full well that her brother’s pride was just as strong as most of their mother’s race tended to run. He probably wouldn’t accept the gesture even if she did offer it.

She looked forward once again, golden eyes focusing on Yamazaki’s back as he walked slightly ahead of them. Though it’s not as though they’d spoken about it, his experience and ability to keep them on track had resulted in the ninja acting as an impromptu leader of sorts of the trio. He certainly seemed to be taking the task very seriously as he silently surveyed their surroundings; cautious and alert of every snap, crack, and swish that exited the ominous blackened forest around them.

_“If it is of any comfort, I vow to protect you from this point forward.”_

Those words rang through her head once more, and her fingers twitched at the memory of his gentle warm hand wrapped around her own. It was such a strange thing for him to say… a _human_ protecting a pair of oni… _or oni hanyo_ in this case. Surely he couldn’t have forgotten about his injuries from the last time he’d tried to protect her? Especially since those wounds had yet to fully heal.

_“No matter what happens, I swear that I will do all within my power to keep you safe.”_

The conviction in his voice, the way his sharp lavender eyes held such resolution as he swore those words to her. She… wanted to believe them. A part of her had felt so safe when he’d taken her delicate hand within his own in his attempt to comfort her, like nothing in the world could have hurt her in that moment. It was an odd feeling… but it had made her happy to have him support her when she thought she would crumble under the weight of everything that had happened that night.

She felt her eyes subconsciously drawn to the right hand hanging at his side, occasionally twitching at the odd noises from the forest that had him on alert.

Her thoughts were suddenly cut short as a howl cut through the silent night, and the three of them all tensed as they caught sight of shadows of movement in the surrounding woods.

“You two, form a circle, now.” Yamazaki quietly ordered in a serious tone as he equipped his kusarigama.

Both Chizuru and Kaoru were quick to do as they were told, drawing their weapons as the three of them moved with their backs to each other. Just as they moved into their defensive positions, the sound of growling came from the darkened forest, and Chizuru could make out the sight of a pack of large three eyed white wolves approaching them cautiously, their scarlet eyes almost glowing with their intense bloodlust.

Her stomach knotted as she realized that she _recognized_ these creatures. “Yamazaki-san, aren’t these...?” 

“It’s a senbiki okami,” He answered, the grip on his kusarigama tightening, “likely the same one from the day we met.”

“Wait, you say that like it’s just one yokai?!” Kaoru’s surprised voice cut in.

“The senbiki okami is a yokai capable of creating an army of puppet wolves to do its bidding.” The ninja’s voice was low as he warned, “Be careful not to expose any weaknesses, they have incredible coordination and even one catching you off guard will be deadly.”

And almost as if his explanation had prompted them, the wolves attacked simultaneously. Lunging at them suddenly, and Chizuru couldn’t help but shriek as she dodged the attack of one wolf, and then another. Her sword digging into the chest of a third as it tried to jump her from her side, and she watched as it lifelessly hit the ground and faded into a black smoke.

Yamazaki said that aren’t real wolves, she tried to remind herself; slicing at another as it attacked her. Even if they were, she would still have to kill them to keep them from killing her or her companions.

Even with that thought, her heart still felt heavy with each wolf that fell by her blade.

To her side, Kaoru and Yamazaki were cutting down wolves one after another, plumes of vile black smoke being carried away by the wind, and she could hear Kaoru give a frustrated groan. “So how do we beat it?!”

“If we defeat the leader, the rest of them should vanish.”

“Okay. Any plans on how to do that, _Yokai Taijiya-san_?” The younger man’s annoyed tone quickly turning accusatory.

“I’m a ninja of the Suzumori clan, not a yokai taijiya.” Yamazaki shot back in a clearly offended note, his Kusarigama cutting driving into the neck of another wolf, “And if I knew how to defeat it, then we wouldn’t be fighting it _now_.”

“So you’re useless? Good to know.”

“Why you-!”

“Is now really the best time to be arguing?!” Chizuru interrupted before Yamazaki could respond to her brother’s provocations. Both men immediately going quiet.

In a small bit of frustration, golden eyes shot skyward towards the moon. Her eyesight was better than an ordinary humans in this form, but even so, it was incredibly dark and still difficult to see where an attack was coming from until the last moment. It was bad enough that the crescent moon hardly offered much visible light, but the obscuring leafless branches of the trees surrounding them didn’t help in that department either!

_Wait… the trees?_

“Yamazaki-san!” She shouted as an idea suddenly came to her, “Can wolves climb trees?”

He shot her a glance, and seemed to catch onto her thinking quickly as his eyes lit with realization. “No, they can’t.” He briefly surveyed their surroundings, and asked, “Yukimura-san, can you grab onto your brother and jump into the tree in front of you?” Cutting down another pair of wolves as he spoke.

“I think so.” She answered, “but what about you?” 

“Don’t worry about me, just move when I give the signal.”

She nodded, and a heartbeat later she heard him yell, “Now!” as she caught sight of a kunai landing in the chest of the single wolf standing between them and their target.

Chizuru quickly sheathed her swords and wrapped her arms around Kaoru’s torso. A small grunt of surprise escaping her brother’s lips as she leapt into the air towards the tree closest to their location. Her hand reaching to grip tightly onto a branch above the one she landed on as she let him nervously gather his footing.

Yamazaki, in that same moment, bolted for the same tree as the wolf he attacked hit the ground. The other wolves all descending on him.

He quickly threw the weighted end of his kusarigama over a low hanging branch of the tree, catching both sides of the chain in one hand, and used it as a pendulum to swing himself up to catch another branch at the same level. His feet kicking against the trunk of the tree to push himself up and land on top of a sturdy branch in an impressive feat of dexterity.

The wolves growled, jumped, and snapped at him. But seemingly satisfied that they couldn’t reach his location, he calmly retrieved his weapon and climbed up to a branch close to Chizuru and Kaoru’s location.

“So what now?” Chizuru asked.

“Senbiki okami are nocturnal, and have been known to give up on a hunt of difficult prey after the sun has risen.” Yamazaki answered before his expression tensed. “However…” 

However… if this really was the same yokai that attacked Yamazaki before, then it had already proved to be an exception to that rule. It had been the middle of the day when it attacked last time. With a quick look, the white haired girl could tell from his troubled expression that he was thinking the same thing.

She looked down for a moment, watching as the wolves clawed and barked at the base of the tree down below, and Yamazaki continued, “It would be unwise to stay in one place for too long. If any other yokai were to show up, we would have trouble dealing with them on top of the senbiki okami.”

“Maybe we could move along the tree tops?” Chizuru suggested, “I don’t think I can safely carry you both at once, but jumping between the trees shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Yamazaki visibly grimaced a little as he thought on it, and hesitantly agreed, “I suppose that is an _option_.”

Though he didn’t say anything, she could understand his concern towards that idea. It was dark and hard to see, after all. Just one missed step or broken branch would have them plummeting to the ground towards a sea of bloodthirsty jaws. And even without the danger of the wolves below, she doubted that either of the two men would take a fall from this height without a few broken bones— or worse.

“Kawauso aren’t particularly strong yokai.” Yamazaki added, “We should avoid leading the senbiki okami to their village.”

“Then what should we-”

Chizuru’s question was suddenly cut off as Kaoru asked in a worried tone, “Hey, Yamazaki, is that… normal?”

Attention now drawn back downward, Chizuru’s stomach knotted with horror at the sight below. The wolves looked like they were trying to climb each other to get up to them. With each wolf steadying themselves upright with their front paws digging their powerful claws into the bark of the tree trunk as one of their companions climbed up onto their shoulders to do the same in a seemingly endless loop. Gradually gaining on their position halfway up the tree with their odd living ladder.

Yamazaki muttered out a small curse under his breath, before shouting, “We need to climb higher!” 

With a nod, they all cautiously climbed the tree until they didn’t think the branches could support their weight any further.

Chizuru bit her lip as she heard the tree begin to creak under the pressure of the wolves pushing against it as they slowly climbed higher up the tree, and she realized that their options were quickly narrowing. Her hand compulsively moved over the area in her kimono that she had hidden the jewel, and she could feel it trying to claw its way into her mind with whispering promises of power and victory.

With a frown, she shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of the temptation.

Then, something caught her eye. 

At first glance, it almost looked like a bulkily built man sloppily dressed in a tattered kimono. But as she looked closer, she could see that it was actually a large white wolf standing on its hindlegs.

“Yamazaki-san, do you think that’s the leader?” she asked, pointing to the creature.

The ninja squinted and tried to locate what she was talking about. Then, as if to prove her point, smoke came from the beast’s third eye on its forehead, and formed into another wolf, which quickly joined its brethren in climbing the growing living ladder.

“You two stay here.” His order was quiet, but firm.

“Wait, you can’t mean that you’re going to fight that thing by yourself?!” Chizuru gasped, not even bothering to hide the concern in her voice as the memory of him being pinned to the ground by one of those monstrous wolves flashed through her mind.

“The wolves are drawn to the jewel, so they shouldn’t notice if one of us were to slip away alone.” He answered in a serious tone, before looking back to her, “That being said, I’m trusting you to keep each other safe in my absence. Move if things start to look dangerous.”

Though she still felt uncertain, Chizuru nodded at him. “Okay.” Kaoru nodding quickly as well.

Yamazaki gave a curt nod in response, before spinning the weighted end of his kusarigama and throwing it into a branch of a nearby tree. After an experimental tug on the chain, he used it to swing down into a lower limb. Silently repeating the process again and again until he was positioned in a tree above his target.

Chizuru couldn’t help but be a little impressed by the way he almost seemed to vanish into the darkness in that dark colored kimono of his, even against the white of the snow. She honestly doubted she would be able to notice him if looking from below.

Her attention was suddenly pulled away from Yamazaki as Kaoru shouted, “D-don’t come any closer you stupid wolves!” and she looked down to see that they were already getting dangerously close to their position, with her brother making hasty preemptive swipes in their direction with the sword he had borrowed from Yamazaki.

With a nervous bite of her cheek, Chizuru realized that this wasn’t the time to be distracted. A sharp hiss of metal ripping through the air as she withdrew one of her swords, ready to defend herself along with her brother if she needed.

Yamazaki perched himself on a branch above the senbiki okami, one hand steadying his balance, while the other gripped tightly onto the handle of his kusarigama.

From what he could tell now that he was closer, it looked like the creature was covered in scars under its battered and torn kimono— the color of which he couldn’t quite make out— and one of its eyes was swollen shut underneath a large raw looking wound running from ear to mouth. 

The ninja readied himself as his target wandered closer to his position, completely oblivious to the trap from above. Just a little closer and…

In an instant, he silently dropped down from his perch, poised to land on the yokai’s shoulders and dig the blade of his kusarigama into its neck.

However, he instead let out a surprised grunt as he was suddenly sent swinging backwards with the tell tale sound of fabric being torn. 

Yamazaki was able to land on his feet a little bit behind the senbiki okami, and quickly glanced up to see the back of his now torn dark grey kimono swaying in the breeze as it hung from the branch he’d just dropped from. With a bit of frustration, and now painfully aware of just how bitterly cold it was without the warmth of his winter kimono insulating his back, and he very much regretted not taking the time to properly dress into his shozoku earlier.

Now alerted to his presence, the senbiki okami turned it’s bloody red gaze to Yamazaki and growled in a deep and menacing rumble. The ninja tensed, and raised his weapon into a defensive stance. Then, without any verbal command, two wolves broke their attention from the tree that the twins were currently hiding in, and ran towards him.

Yamazaki dodged their attacks and was quick to finish the wolves off, but when he looked back up he could see their leader quickly retreating deeper into the forest.

“Oh no you don’t!” he shouted as he gave chase, leaping over another wolf that tried to obstruct his path and dragging his kusarigama across its back.

He reached into his kimono, and withdrew another kunai from inside his sleeve. Managing to catch the back of the beasts leg as he threw the small weapon, and sent it stumbling forward with a cry of pain; giving him the chance to quickly close the distance between them.

The leader snarled and turned to face him, swiping at him with its large clawed hand-like paws. However, Yamazaki was nimble enough to maneuver himself to use the beast’s large powerful arms as a platform to spring over and onto its back. Dropping the chain of his kusarigama in the process to wrap around the beast’s neck. 

The large wolf bucked and twisted, trying to throw him off, but he held firmly into his chain like a bridle around the yokai’s neck, eliciting a choking sound from the creature. Out of his peripheral, he could see the wolves abandon their goal of trying to reach the twins in the tree, and rush to aid their leader. Some from the top crashing into the ground in violent puffs of black smoke in the madness.

Without any time to waste, Yamazaki shouted, “You’re finished!” and dug the blade of his kusarigama into the beasts neck with the same resistance one would expect from a tender piece of tofu. 

A pained cry in the sound of a gurgly choked scream cut through the air, and he pulled his weapon out of the beast’s flesh, causing a spray of crimson red to stain the snowy ground below and paint his right hand red.

One of the wolves lunged at him, and Yamazaki realized he wouldn’t have the time to dodge from this position.

However, just as it was about to crash into him, the wolf vanished into a plume of black smoke right in front of his face. The rest of the wolves vanishing as well in that same moment.

Not long after, their leader fell forward, dead, onto the cold hard ground.

Between his heavy breaths, Yamazaki quickly surveyed the surrounding area for any more danger. A small sigh of relief escaping his lips as he realized that it was finally over. He then looked up into the tree that the twins were still perched in and called out, “It’s safe to come down now.”

Just then he felt the chill finally hit him. With a shiver, Yamazaki remembered that he hadn’t exactly been the most comfortably dressed for the cold. But the freezing air of the cold winter night had become practically unbearable now that the back of his winter kimono had been ripped off of it.

He started to dig through his bag to find his shozoku as the two siblings approached the fallen yokai in cautious curiosity.

Kaoru nudged the body cautiously with his foot as he muttered, “He actually killed it…” in a quiet shock.

“I can’t believe he actually beat it all by himself.” Chizuru murmured in quiet agreement. Hands quickly slapping over her mouth as she looked up to see the man in question watching them, and she quickly added in a flustered tone, “N-not that I didn’t think you could, Yamazaki-san! But that yokai was so strong, and you got hurt the last time you fought it, so…” 

Yamazaki couldn’t help but let out a little huff of amusement as the hanyo girl trailed off and looked down in embarrassment. “Don’t worry, Yukimura-san, I understand.” He reassured, standing up with his gathered clothes in hand as he explained, “While the senbiki okami is a dangerous yokai because of its ability to overwhelm an opponent with its numbers, the leader isn’t very strong on its own. It was only thanks to the two of you keeping the puppet wolves distracted, that I was able to sneak up on their leader the way I did.”

She blinked at him. “Even so, it was still pretty cool.” She praised with a smile.

Her brother, on the other hand, simply clicked his tongue, and muttered out an almost bitter, “It was alright I guess.”

Yamazaki brows furrowed slightly in annoyance. While he didn’t act with the intention of gaining praise or approval, he certainly thought that the boy could afford to be a little more grateful. But he decided against commenting on the younger man’s attitude, figuring it wasn’t worth his time to argue on something so pointless.

With that, he instructed the two of them to head back to the river, intending to join them after changing into his shozoku. To which they both agreed without much argument, and quietly shuffled away to give him the privacy he needed.

Once they were mostly out of sight, Yamazaki moved to pull the tattered kimono off his form. A sharp pain suddenly shot from his injured shoulder at the action, forcing him to wince slightly. He also noted how his bandage wrapped left hand also throbbed in pain as well now that the adrenaline rush was wearing off. He realized that he must have pushed his body too hard and agitated his wounds. He couldn’t afford to be too worried about it at the moment, but he’d have to look at them later and be sure they hadn’t reopened.

Unable to let himself dwell on the pain, the ninja quickly but carefully dressed himself in his black shozoku. Taking a few shortcuts to speed things along, such as ignoring his kote* gauntlets and only wrapping his sleeves and the bottoms of his hakama just enough to keep them from opening loose. He didn’t want to leave the Yukimura siblings alone for too long after all.

Once he was finished dressing, Yamazaki’s attention was momentarily drawn to the body of the defeated senbiki okami as he went to recover the kunai he’d thrown earlier.

The cut across its left eye looked raw and swollen with puss, and there were a few other injuries staining its white fur the muddy brown color of dried blood under its tattered kimono. From the smell he got as he approached it, he could tell the wounds were likely infected.

From what he could see, they looked about as old as his own injuries; maybe from some sort of winter territory dispute with another yokai? That might explain why it seemed so desperate to obtain the power of the shikon jewel in the first place, even at the risk of being exposed during the day. 

Not caring to waste anymore time on the subject, Yamazaki quickly retrieved his kunai from the beast’s leg, and moved to return to the two waiting for him by the river.

\---

It wasn’t long after that the small flickers of torch light and the faint outline of small humble houses and huts signaled that they had might have finally found the village that they were looking for. An incredibly welcome sight considering the wariness and fatigue that had fallen over the group in the hours that had passed since they left the burning Yukimura village behind. Honestly, Chizuru was looking forward to getting out of the cold and curling up under a nice warm blanket, and she had a feeling that Yamazaki and Kaoru—who had clearly both been abruptly woken from their sleep by the chaos back in Yukimura village— felt the same way.

However, as they approached the village, they were surprised to be quickly met by two young human men— who were quick to draw their spears on the group in a hasty panic. Some sort of town guards perhaps? 

“Who are you?!” the older of the two, a youthful man maybe only a couple years Yamazaki’s senior, with a darker hair color and dressed in some muted red toned kimono demanded.

“A-and what are you doing at our village so late at night!” the second one, a late teen with a lighter toned hair—the bangs of which obscured his eyes— and dressed in a light brown kimono, added in a much more flustered tone.

Chizuru tensed as Yamazaki immediately placed himself between the siblings and the two men, aware of how he was gripping tightly onto a kunai hidden just out of the guards view. Kaoru’s hand cautiously hovering over the handle his borrowed sword as well as he observed the situation beside her.

She knew that humans were scared of most yokai, oni especially due to the reputations from their ancestors being man eaters. Even a hanyo like her would have them especially on edge do to her inability to hide her true form at will.

“Yamazaki-san,” She leaned forward to whisper with a small tug on his sleeve, “I think we should leave before we cause anymore trouble.”

Her uncle’s instructions from before hadn’t mentioned any human villages, but that had been a pretty stressful situation where he could have easily forgotten to mention it. There was also the possibility that they could have already passed the Kawauso village somehow. Either way, they had no reason to interact with the humans of this village.

Yamazaki hesitated with his reaction, looking the two nervous men over quickly, before he asked with a glance back at the two siblings, “Could you two introduce yourselves with your full names?” 

“H-huh?” Chizuru’s voice came out in a surprised squeak as she tried to wrap her head around what he could be thinking.

“I want to see how they react.” His tone sounded serious.

She blinked, and looked towards the two men. That’s when she noticed something odd. While the older darker haired man looked more composed than his younger hidden eyed companion, his figity glare was locked pointedly at _Yamazaki_. His dark eyes darting between the ninja’s obscured expression and the exposed kusarigama hanging at his waist. In fact, they hardly even spared either of the Yukimura siblings much more than an initial cursory glance in favor of scrutinously observing every little action Yamazaki made.

The younger of the two suddenly thrust his spear forward towards Yamazaki threateningly, and shouted, “H-hey! What are you whispering about?! We asked you a question!”

Beside her, Kaoru quickly drew his sword in response to the rise in hostility. Yet Yamazaki stood firm, not even flinching in response to the aggressive action as he glared back at the two men.

Whatever it was that he was thinking, Chizuru decided to trust his judgement and cleared her throat.

“My name is Yukimura Chizuru.” She introduced, trying not to show how nervous she actually was. The two men immediately hesitated and stilled their actions in response to her name.

“Yukimura Kaoru.” Her brother’s voice held a slight edge to it as he refused to put away his weapon.

“And this is our companion, Yamazaki Susumu… we’re from from the Yukimura clan.” She finished. Watching as their spears lowered slightly, and the pair shared an unsure glance as if trying to figure out how to respond.

Just then a new, deeper, voice cut in, “What’s going on here?”

A larger man that towered over everyone else present came into view. In his hand he carried a paper lantern, which illuminated the heavily scarred face of a man that looked to be in his late forties. He was dressed in an out of season green yukata that was opened just enough to expose the man’s scar covered muscled chest. From the two swords hanging at his hip, Chizuru guessed he might be a retired soldier of some sort— an experienced one at that.

“Dad!” the two guards shouted in unison, the older of the two explaining. “These people say they’re from the Yukimura clan.”

The older man quickly looked over Yamazaki’s form, his expression tensing slightly as his gaze lingered on the weapon at his hip, he then looked over to Chizuru and Kaoru standing behind the ninja— almost completely unphased by their presence in comparison. His voice skeptical as he asked, “Is that so?”

“Y-yes.” Chizuru answered a little nervously, “Are you the leader of this village?”

The man’s answer came with a small shrug, “Yeah, the name’s Sutori. You could say I’m something of a leader to our humble little village.” Shifting his weight between his feet and cocking his head slightly as he continued, “So, what are a yokai taijiya and pair of hanyo from Yukimura village doing out here in the middle of the night?”

_Hanyo?_

That immediately set off some bells in Chizuru’s mind, and from a quick surprised shared glance, it did for her brother as well. While it might be obvious that _she_ was a hanyo to anyone who knew what a pure blooded oni looked like, her brother looked entirely human at night. In fact, he probably looked _more_ human than any of the oni of her village did in their human-like concealed forms. So how could this man know that wasn’t the case?

“Before we answer that question, there’s something I wanted to confirm first.” The men’s attention turned to Yamazaki, and after a moment of silence and observation, he asked in a firm knowing voice, “You three aren’t human, are you?”

The two guards faces quickly paled into expressions of shocked horror at the accusation. However, the larger man, Sutori, only betrayed his reaction with a slight twitch of his brows and lips across his stern expression as he glowered at Yamazaki. 

The tension in the air felt thick enough to cut with a knife as a silent two sided interrogation settled between the two men. The way that the two guards nervously gripped their spears, still pointed in Yamazaki’s direction, and how Kaoru seemed determined to keep his own borrowed weapon pointed at the would be attackers, left Chizuru genuinely afraid that a fight would erupt between the two groups.

Then, with a small sigh, the older man closed his eyes and muttered in defeat, “So, you figured us out, huh?” Before suddenly vanishing in a puff of smoke, leaving an empty space where the man once stood. A higher pitched voice continued, “I guess there’s no point in trying to keep up the disguises anymore.”

They looked down to see that where the mountainous Sutori had previously been planted, now stood a much smaller otter at a little over a third of his previous height as it stood on its hind legs. The otter was dressed in a smaller version of the man’s green yukata from before— minus the katana that previously had been hanging from the man’s hip, which was replaced by a stick that he might as well have found at the river’s edge— and in its paws the otter held a paper lamp that shadowed the cute frustrated scrunch of the creature’s nose. 

The Yukimura siblings gawked at the sight.

“An otter!?” Kaoru’s loud shock filled the air as Chizuru quietly tried to process what had just happened, his weapon lowering in an uncertain confusion at the situation. “But he was just- **what**?!”

Yamazaki sighed slightly as he put away the kunai in his hand, apparently satisfied now that the situation seemed to have deescalated, and explained in a slightly exasperated tone, “Kawauso are illusionist that are infamous for transforming into women and children to play pranks on humans. I suspected that they might try to pull a trick like this when you mentioned them before.”

“Really?” Chizuru asked wide eyed and gave a surprised questioning look towards the otter. “I had no idea.” Her attention turned towards the two guards, who still appeared to be human. “Does that mean you two are also…?”

With a sigh, the older of the two transformed in a puff of smoke into an otter as well. “Dad, are you sure it’s okay to let your guard down around these suspicious people?” His annoyed question directed at the surprisingly relaxed kawauso leader as he pointed the large stick in his paws at the three of them.

The younger guard transformed as well; revealing an adolescent Kawauso hiding behind his assumed brother, his messy ruffled fur hiding his eyes. However, it was obvious that he was still watching Yamazaki intently while gripping tightly onto his own stick.

Sutori frowned and shrugged, “It can’t be helped, we weren’t fooling them with those disguises in the first place.” he then looked up to Chizuru and Kaoru, “Besides, hanyo or not, they weren’t lying when they said they were from the Yukimura clan. They smell a lot like Yukimura-sama.”

“Even so, they have a yokai taijiya with them!” The young kawauso argued. “You can’t seriously be considering trusting them!”

Beside her, Chizuru could hear a small frustrated sigh escape Yamazaki’s lips, and she was reminded at how irritated he’d gotten in the past whenever he’d been referred to as a yokai taijiya. She opened her mouth to defend him, but before she got the chance his cold voice cut through the air.

“There are no more yokai taijiya.”

This statement stunned the three otter for a moment, before the older of the two brothers argued, “But your weapon-”

“Is a memory of my past. Nothing more.” Yamazaki interrupted, his tone somber. “Human or not, I am a member of the Suzumori clan, and a guest of the Yukimura— I have no intention of harming you or your village. But if my presence is an issue, I am willing to leave so long as you agree to help these two.”

“Yamazaki-san isn’t dangerous!” It was at this point that Chizuru chose to add her thoughts on the matter as well, earning her a small look of surprise from the man in question at the amount of emotion in her voice. “He’s saved my life, as well as my brother’s, more than once! If it weren’t for him, then we might not have even made it out of my village when it was attacked earlier. So please-”

“Yukimura village was attacked?” Sutori’s quiet shocked voice cut her off, the two younger kawauso gasping slightly as well.

“Yes… Just earlier tonight actually…” Chizuru answered with a heavy heart, remembering why they were here in the first place as she reached into her kimono to retrieve the item she’d been given back at the Moon spring. “My uncle asked me to show this to you and ask for someone named Kinu. He said that she would keep us safe until he could meet up with us again.”

The moment the kawauso leader spotted the silver tsubaki pattern on the small indigo bag in her palm, his beady onyx eyes went wide with recognition as he muttered in a quiet disbelief, “Yukimura-sama’s treasure…” He then looked to the two younger otters with a serious expression, and barked, “Ryoichi, Kenji, you two go let everyone know that these people don’t mean us any harm, but to stay on alert for any danger.”

The two nodded, and quickly waddled off further into the village.

Once they were gone, Sutori’s attention turned to the group once more. “I’m sorry for the misunderstanding from before.” He apologized with a deep bow. “It was incredibly rude of us to treat members of the Yukimura clan with such hostility.”

“Oh no!” Chizuru gasped, “No, it’s fine. I’m sure it was a pretty stressful situation for everyone.” Sending a look to Yamazaki and Kaoru to be sure that they agreed with her.

“It’s fine.” was Kaoru’s only response as he finally sheathed his sword, hints of apathy creeping into his tired voice.

“It’s been a rough night, and we are strangers to your village.” Yamazaki stated. “It would have been more suspicious for you to welcome us with open arms, given the circumstances.”

Sutori smiled a little. “Thank you for being so understanding.” Before he turned, and started walking into the village. A wave of his paw to signal for them to follow as he said, “I’ll be more than happy to take you three to Kinu’s house.”

With a small shared glance, the three silently agreed to follow.

As they walked through the village, Chizuru noticed several otter faces peeking from doorways and windows of the homes they passed. Though they seemed to quickly vanish as soon as they seemed to realize that they’d been noticed. 

Her brows pressed questioningly, and Sutori explained, “Everyone’s been on edge since Natsuki-kun went missing.”

“Natsuki-kun?” Chizuru questioned, thinking that the name sounded familiar.

“Natsuki Taichi,” He answered, “he was the warrior that Yukimira-sama sent to keep our village safe. Natsuki-kun was a bit green, but a swell guy. He got along with all of us even though we were just ‘lowly kawauso’ as some of your kind have called us.” The otter’s face saddened, “He was worried about the rise in yokai activity over the past few weeks, and went to talk to Yukimura-sama about it a few days ago… he… hasn’t been back since.”

Chizuru’s heart dropped as she gripped the indigo bag tightly in her palm. If they’d been that reliant on the Yukimura clan for protection, then it was little wonder why they’d been so scared of them before without the Yukimura guard around. She couldn’t help but feel guilty knowing that it was the yokai attracted to the jewel’s corrupt power that had put them in this situation.

They continued through the humble sized village, carefully crossing a small bridge, clearly not built for people much bigger than the otter inhabitants of this village. And as they soon started to leave the village and head further downstream, it was Yamazaki who asked, “Where are we going?” 

“Kinu-san doesn’t live in the village.” Was Sutori’s simple answer, not even looking back at them.

They pressed forward, through the dark crowded forest with only the light of Sutori’s paper lantern to guide their path. Then, after several minutes of walking, he stopped. An expectant look shot to Chizuru. “Do you have the key?”

“Key?”

“Yeah, if Yukimura-sama told you to go to Kinu-san’s house, then he must’ve given you the key.”

With a confused frown, she pulled out the bag that her uncle had given her back at the moon spring, and emptied its contents into her open palm. There was one other item alongside the jewel she had placed inside the bag earlier, a small brass colored bell with a thin red string looped through it.

Curiously, Chizuru lifted the string into the air, the action eliciting a small jingle from the bell as it brushed off of her palm. She was about to ask if this was what he was talking about, when her golden eyes widened at the sight of a quaint little house— bigger and more well designed than the tiny huts of the kawauso village, but not as large as most of the homes back in Yukimura village— in front of them where previously only a group of unsuspecting trees stood firm.

Kaoru and Yamazaki’s breaths caught at the unexpected sight as well, but Sutori walked towards the house, unphased.

“Kinu-san?” he called out loudly, “Are you awake? Kinu-san? Kinu-saaaaaan!”

A moment of shouting later, they could hear grumbling come from inside, followed by an irritated, “Yes, yes, I’m awake now.” in an elderly feminine voice as a small light approached the thin paper door.

The door slid open, revealing the face of an older looking tanuki woman dressed in a warm brown colored kimono, with greying hairs decorating her delicate muzzle and the light fur of her crinkled brows over her irritated beady oak colored eyes.

“What is it Sutori-kun?! Don’t you realize how la-” her groggy complaints quickly died off as she looked over the three standing behind the kawauso leader. Under her large circular glasses, the tanuki woman’s eyes widened in shock, as though she were seeing a ghost. “Don’t tell me… are you two Minako-sama’s children?”

Chizuru and Kaoru shared a quick look of surprise, and asked, “You knew our mother?”

“Yes, I-” The older woman paused, and looked to the kawauso with a serious look on her face. “Sutori-kun, what's going on?”

Sutori looked towards the three behind him, and said quietly, “These three came from Yukimura village, I think it’s best for them to explain the rest.” his dark eyes fixed on Chizuru.

Taking his hint, the silver haired hanyo girl was quick to shove the items in her hand back into the small drawstring bag. She took a hesitant step forward as she introduced herself, “Um… My name is Yukimura Chizuru, this is my brother.”

Kaoru bowed slightly and muttered out a neutral, “I’m Yukimura Kaoru.”

“I’m Yamazaki Susumu.” Yamazaki greeted with a polite bow as well, “I’m a member of the Suzumori clan from Yase and currently a guest of the Yukimura clan.”

“Yamazaki-san is human, but I promise he won’t cause any problems.” Chizuru quickly added in hopes that there wouldn’t be a repeat of what happened earlier outside of Sutori’s village.

She then held out the small indigo bag she’d been given, showing the camellia pattern to the elderly woman as she explained, “You see, our- well… Yukimura village was attacked earlier this evening. My Uncle Kazuya told me to find you, and that you would keep us safe until he can meet with us again.”

“Oh dear…” Kinu’s oak colored eyes lit with recognition at the sight of the bag in her palm, and with a quick understanding of the situation, she stepped aside and said in an almost frantic tone, “Please do come in! Come, come. Before you catch colds!” waving them in quickly past her into her home.

As they all were promptly shuffled into the house, Sutori said, “I’m going to be heading back to the village, I hope things turn out okay for you three.” Seemingly satisfied now that he’d gotten them where they needed to be.

“Oh!” Chizuru quickly turned and bowed to the otter before he left. “Thank you so much for helping us, Sutori-san!”

“The Yukimura clan has done a lot for my village over the past few generations, so I’m more than happy to help out a member of Yukimura-sama’s family.” He smiled brightly at her, showing his pointed teeth in a wide grin. “If you need anything else, please don’t feel shy about asking!” Waving to her as he turned to leave, and Chizuru found a small smile resting on her face as she entered Kinu’s house along with her two male companions.

Even with the dim lighting of only a tiny oil lamp in the tanuki’s paw to light their surroundings, the first thing to note about the older woman's home was the multitude of colors that overwhelmed their sight from all the kimonos and fabric out on display and hanging throughout the room. 

“I apologize for the mess. I wasn’t expecting guest.” Kinu apologized in an embarrassed hurry as she shuffled over towards a side room, “Please wait here while I find you somewhere to sleep.”

“Did she really make all of these herself?” Kaoru questioned quietly as their host disappeared behind the shoji door, his chestnut gaze fixed on some patterns of blue and green.

Chizuru wondered the same thing. Many of the designs sported simple patterns, and were rather dull in color, but there were a few that were incredibly eye catching and intricate in their designs. Complex patterns of flowers and bamboo, trees swaying in the wind, and black skies dotted with stars and falling sakura petals. She couldn’t help but be impressed with the amount of time and skill that must have been needed to make these.

Yamazaki looked around as well, though it was difficult to read his expression due to the low lighting, his body language would suggest he was intrigued as well. However, his attention was soon drawn to an unassuming length of rolled up white fabric off to the side of the room.

He carefully moved his hand up to pinch and rub the fabric between his fingers with a small questioning hum that Chizuru only just barely caught.

Seeing as he was so fascinated with this one fabric over all of the other impressive works throughout the room, Chizuru found herself wandering closer to inspect it as well. “Is something the matter, Yamazaki-san?” her voice quiet as she looked between him and the simple white fabric without even a pattern to it.

Yamazaki blinked at her, before answering in a similarly quiet tone. “No, I was just surprised to see wisteria silk in such a place.”

“Wisteria silk?” She repeated with a slight tilt to her head.

“Do you remember that story your uncle shared earlier? About how he tasked your father to retrieve silk from silkworm yokai that had feasted on the leaves of a jubokko tree?”

She nodded.

“The cloth woven from that material is referred to as demon silk. Clothing made from it is incredibly durable, and stronger than most armor. However, it's difficult to obtain due to how dangerous it is to approach jubokko trees.” he looked back to the white fabric and continued, “Wisteria silk is a variant of demon silk from silkworm yokai that were raised on the flowers of wisteria trees. It isn’t as durable as demon silk, but it does protect from non-physical magic damage, as well as from the spiritual damage that miko, priest, and monks use. Usually most outfits made from demon silk will have layers made from both fabrics.”

“Oh.” Chizuru mouthed in amazement, looking over the nearby fabrics. “She seems to be very talented, so I guess it’s not surprising that she would know how to work with this demon silk too.”

But Yamazaki shook his head as he added further, “No, it’s not so much of a matter of skill or talent. There are only a few yokai families in Japan that know the secret as to how to work raw demon silk into usable fabric. It’s surprising that one of the Yukimura clan’s vassals would know that secret.” He shot a glance towards the room Kinu had gone into.

“Does that mean the Yase clan doesn’t have any vassals that can weave demon silk?” She asked in genuine curiosity.

He hesitated with his answer for a moment, before explaining, “Yase is a small clan. Aside from the Suzumori, they do not have many vassals like the Yukimura and Kazama clans do. The only demon silk in our village has been personally gifted by the Dragon King as a show of good relations. As such, the Yase princess is the only one who may wear clothing made from the material.”

So this fabric was that rare of a treasure? Chizuru now realized why he’d been so drawn to it compared to everything else within the room. It certainly made her even more curious about what type of person Kinu was.

It wasn’t long after that that their host returned to the main room where she had left the three of them, and called them in to rest for the night. With the exhaustion that was quickly creeping up on them, there wasn’t a complaint to be found from the request as they all eagerly moved to follow after her.

In the bedroom, there were three futons laid out, with a room divider separating one from the other two— either with the intention of separating Chizuru, as the only girl in the group, from the two men, or to place a border between the two siblings and their human guest. The choice of which option being left up to them.

“You should all get some rest while you can, I’m sure it’s been a long night.” 

Yamazaki and Kaoru both offered words of gratitude, but Chizuru couldn’t help the small downward pull of her lips as she noticed Kinu bending over to grab a folded futon for herself. She quickly realized that this was likely their host’s room that they were taking over.

“I’m sorry that we have to impose on you like this.” The girl apologized with a small bow.

There was a small humored huff from the older woman as she smiled kindly at them. “Please don’t worry yourself about that, dear. The Yukimura clan has treated me well over the years, so I’m more than happy to help the three of you however I can if that’s what Kazuya-sama asks of me.”

Though Chizuru still felt a little bad about the situation, she smiled and offered a second small bow, “Thank you very much, Kinu-san.”

This elicited a small chuckle from the Tanuki, and before Chizuru could ask what was so funny, she explained, “You’re just as polite as Kazuya-sama said you were.”

“Uncle Kazuya talks about us?” She asked in a surprised tone after a shared glance with her wide eyed brother.

“Oh yes!” Kinu answered, “Kazuya-sama cares a great deal about both of you, and he often speaks about the two of you as though you were his own children.”

Chizuru didn’t miss the way her brother’s widened chestnut eyes darted downwards, his brows pressing into a sad conflicted expression as he started to think about something. But it’s not like she didn’t understand what he was thinking either.

Their uncle had never been a very affectionate man, and he certainly didn’t spend much time with them aside from his harsh training sessions. It was only over these past few weeks that he’d been forced to stay within yukimura village that they’d finally been allowed to get close to him and see his warmer sides. While in theory, they’d have known that he loved them, it came as a genuine shock to learn that he would speak so highly of them to an outsider.

“But we can speak more about that in the morning.” Kinu continued, “After all, I’m sure the three of you are exhausted after all.”

“Oh, yes, thank you so much Kinu-san.” Chizuru agreed with a small smile and another nervous bow.

With a small laugh, the Tanuki woman offered a final “Sleep well.” before exiting the room, leaving them to figure out their sleeping arrangements on their own.

Chizuru was about to open her mouth to ask where they would like to sleep, but before she could, Kaoru shot a pointed look towards Yamazaki. “I think you have some explaining to do.” His voice curt. “This jewel you keep bringing up, what is it?”

Yamazaki shot a hesitant look towards the door Kinu had disappeared behind. He was quiet for a moment, before relenting with a sigh, “I suppose I did promise that I would tell you everything once we were safe, didn’t I?”

He then motioned for the two of them to sit down close to him, and when he spoke, it was in a quiet whisper, “Are the two of you familiar with the rogue oni that went by the name Shuten-Douji?”

Kaoru’s eyes widened a little in shock, and he nodded. Chizuru did as well, though her uncle did already tell her most of what she needed to know about the jewel.

“I take it you’ve also heard of the immense power that he possessed?”

Again, they nodded.

Yamazaki looked downward with bitter narrowed eyes, an expression that looked to be an odd mixture of hatred and remorse crossing his face as he spoke in a bitter tone. “Eight years ago-...” He paused, closing his eyes as if to calm himself, and shook his head. “Sorry, I’m getting a little ahead of myself.”

Lavender eyes opened, his tone now calmed but still serious as he spoke. “Shuten-douji was believed to be immensely stronger than any individual clan leader of the great oni clans, and potentially the strongest yokai in all of japan. This power was granted to him by the Shikon jewel, an ancient and powerful item that is capable of granting any yokai who uses it incredible strength. After he was defeated in Kazama village, the leader of the Suzumori clan and myself were tasked with bringing the jewel to the Yukimura clan to have it purified.” His attention turned to Chizuru, and he finished, “I suspect that you’ve had something to do with that, haven’t you, Yukimura-san?”

She nodded, “Yes, that’s right.” her hand moving to where she had hidden the jewel under her kimono. “Uncle Kazuya put me in charge of cleansing the jewel shortly after you arrived in our village.”

Kaoru was quiet, as he took everything in. After a moment of processing, he leaned back onto his hands in his sitting position and gave a tired sigh, “So that’s what was going on, huh?” his tone quiet and lacking in his usual energy. His gaze then turned towards Chizuru, “Chizuru, you have it on you, right? This Shikon jewel, or whatever? Can I see it?”

The white haired girl gave a small hesitant nod, and murmured a quiet, “Sure.” She then pulled out the indigo bag that Kazuya had given her back at the moon spring. After fishing out the object in question, she held it out. The black tainted opalescent pink energy that swirled inside of the small marble-like jewel shining vividly in the darkened room.

Kaoru leaned forward a bit with chestnut eyes wide. “It’s so small…” His quiet voice filled with a mixture of amazement and shock. He curiously started to reach his fingers forward, but stopped as Chizuru yanked the object away protectively. With a quick understanding of her silent message, he backed off and muttered, “So this powerful item was in our village all this time, huh? I had no idea.” A hint of hurt flashed in his chestnut eyes, but it was so brief that Chizuru almost wondered if she’d imagined it.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this sooner.” She apologized, “Uncle Kazuya made me promise not to tell anyone about the jewel, not even you or father.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it by now.” Kaoru muttered bitterly, turning his head away from her. “You’ve always been their favorite anyway.” A clear venom slipping into his tone that had the girl frowning.

“Kaoru, that isn’t-”

“Anyway.” he curtly interrupted, “So those people, whatever they are, they attacked Yukimura village for the jewel, right?” his question directed at Yamazaki.

Both Yamazaki and Chizuru nodded, and the ninja answered, “I believe so.”

“So,” Kaoru raised a brow at him, “how do we know we’re safe here then?”

“Tanuki and kitsune magic are considered the strongest in Japan. Whatever spell of protection Kinu-san has on her home will not be easily broken.” Yamazaki answered definitively. “Nothing will be able to find us so long as we stay here.”

“But the jewel’s malevolent energy attracts other yokai.” Chizuru pointed out as a realization hit her, “Even if they can’t find us, wouldn’t that still put the kawauso villagers in danger?” 

“You do have a point…” Yamazaki pursed his lips in a troubled expression, his hand moving up to his chin as he thought. “But we don’t have much choice other than waiting for your uncle to meet up with us.”

Chizuru felt her hands ball into fists as she silently nodded in agreement. “Uncle Kazuya promised that he would find us when the fighting was over.” Those last words he said to her echoing through her head once more.

Yamazaki’s lips turned up into a small smile, as he reassured, “I see. Then it is our job to trust him, isn’t it?”

She nodded with a small smile. After all, oni don’t break their promises, and the great Yukimura Kazuya was no exception to that rule. Her uncle will find them in the morning, and everything will be okay. She just has to trust him, and stay safe like she promised she would.

Kaoru let out a yawn, drawing their attention from the conversation.

“Tired?” she asked, and he gave a small nod.

“We should go to bed.” Yamazaki suggested with a light stretch of his own. “It is late after all, and I'm certain we could all use the rest.”

Neither of the twins had any reason to argue, and were quick to claim their spots. Kaoru claiming the futon in the center, while his sister took the one on the other side of the divider, leaving Yamazaki the remaining spot.

After undressing down to her white juban*, Chizuru placed her folded clothes on the tatami mat above her head and crawled into her futon. “Good night, Kaoru. Good night, Yamazaki-san.” She said quietly as she tried to get comfortable.

Her brother answering with a tired, “Night.” as Yamazaki responded, “Sleep well, Yukimura-san.”

With a small sigh, Chizuru closed her eyes and hoped that she would be able to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kote- armored glove like sleeves which extended to the shoulder or han kote (kote gauntlets) which covered the forearms.
> 
> Juban- the undermost layer of a kimono, typically white.
> 
> \---
> 
> When I was describing the senbiki okami yokai to my brother when I found out about it in my research on yokai for this story, he responded by asking "you mean like that one wolf that spits out wolves?"  
> Me: "What?"  
> Him: "You know, that one wolf that spits out wolves from Inuyasha."  
> Me, who hasn't ACTUALLY watched Inuyasha in years and mostly supplemented for hours on the wiki: "... What?"


	7. Worries

For maybe the fifteenth time that night, Chizuru found herself turning her body over to try and find a more comfortable position in the unfamiliar futon. Unfortunately, sleep seemed to be evading her this evening.

After all the excitement of the night, she’d thought she’d be tired, but she wasn’t used to sleeping at this hour due to the past two weeks of staying up until dawn. The fact that she’d always been more of a night owl in the first place due to the nature of her transformation, and the unfamiliar environment of Kinu’s home, certainly weren’t helping either.

Though Yamazaki had tried to keep her from worrying before, her mind kept going back to the thought of her father and uncle. The family that she cared so much about, but ultimately left behind in order to save herself. Kazuya was a skilled warrior and one of the most powerful yokai of eastern Japan, he could handle himself. Her father on the other hand… He wasn’t a fighter… As an oni of the Yukimura bloodline, the fire itself didn’t pose him much danger, but what if those unkillable soldiers had gotten to him? What if he’d run into the masked man? What if the yokai that invaded the village caught him as he was trying to escape?

She should have tried to find him, or even asked back at the village if Kaoru or Yamazaki had seen him. But now it was too late, they had already long left him and his fate behind in the village. All they could do was wait and find out the rest when they meet up with their uncle again.

Moments passed, and the soft rustle of bedding pulled her from her thoughts. Was someone else having trouble sleeping as well? She hoped that her tossing and turning hadn’t been too loud and kept them up. Her lips pulling into a small frown at the thought.

But then she just barely caught the sound of gentle quiet footsteps on the tatami mat, as if they were carefully trying not to disturb the others in the room with their movement, followed by a slow and quiet sliding of the shoji door separating them from the main room of the house.

Quietly, Chizuru turned to face the bamboo paneled room divider that separated her from her two male companions, attempting to peek under the gaps between it and the floor to see who had just left the room. The nearby profile of her brother’s sleeping form telling her that it was probably Yamazaki who’d gotten up.

Maybe he needed to relieve himself? If that was the case, then he’d probably be back in a little bit without any trouble.

Deciding not to worry herself over it, she closed her eyes once more and tried to find the ever elusive mistress that is sleep. Only to open them a moment later as she heard the quiet sound of ceramic being placed down just outside their room, and she caught sight of the faint orange glow of a small light illuminating the white paper of the shoji door. 

Slightly curious, Chizuru quietly and carefully lifted the covers and crawled to the foot of her futon to peer around the divider. The silhouette of a man hunched over in a sitting position shadowed through the thin paper door. With the small bits of movement from his arms that she could catch from this position, she quickly realized exactly what he was doing.

Careful to keep her steps quiet, as to not wake her brother, she slipped out of her futon and made her way towards the door, gently sliding it open as quietly as she could.

“Yukimura-san?” Yamazaki’s voice was quiet as he looked up with wide lavender eyes, obviously surprised to see her. His brows immediately pressed in concern a moment later, “I didn’t wake you did I?”

She was quick to shake her head as she stepped out of the room and answered, “No, I couldn’t sleep.” being sure to close the door behind her.

She then looked over his sitting form, and sure enough he’d been in the process of unwrapping the bandages on his left hand. A small corked gourd of sake and a clean cloth were both illuminated in front of him by the small light at his side. She couldn’t help the concerned frown that made its way to her lips as she quietly asked, “Are your injuries bothering you?”

“I just agitated them earlier, nothing to worry about.” He answered, glancing down at his injured hand and flexing his fingers as if that would further prove his point. 

Her brows furrowed slightly at the dismissal as she sat down in front of him. Hand held out, she asked, “Let me see.”

He was quick to do as instructed, and obediently held out his hand for her to inspect. As she finished unwrapping the protective layer of white bandages, she was met with the sight of the scab of his wound split into many small sharp glass like shards, which dug painfully into his damaged and tender skin from the pressure and force of wielding his weapon. Though the small cuts didn’t look to be too serious, the irritated redness of the surrounding skin told her that they were likely still quite painful.

“Why didn’t you mention this sooner?” She asked while pouring a little sake onto the cloth. 

He was silent as she carefully blotted and cleaned the cuts of the dried blood. When she didn’t get a response, her golden eyes briefly glanced up to see his lavender quickly shoot off to the side to avoid her gaze.

That seemed to finally prompt a response from him. “Tonight has been… difficult.” he answered with a low voice, “I didn’t want to trouble you with something that I could have done myself.”

Chizuru could feel a small understanding smile make its way to her features. “It really isn’t any trouble at all, Yamazaki-san.” She reassured gently as she finished cleaning his hand, before sheepishly admitting, “I actually find this sort of thing kind of relaxing, at least compared to everything else that happened tonight, so please don’t worry about troubling me by asking for help if you need it.”

If anything, she welcomed the distraction. It’s not as though she were getting any sleep in the first place, and having something to focus on and someone to talk with, even momentarily, kept her worries from completely overtaking her mind. 

Yamazaki’s response was a simple uncertain nod and quiet noise of acknowledgement, to which she offered a smile before turning her attention to a small pile of colorful lengths of cloth at his side. She assumed they were likely leftover scraps from the clothing Kinu had out on display across her house, and wondered if the tanuki might have given these on account of not having had any actual bandage rolls on hand.

She chose an appropriately sized light green scrap of cloth, and started to rewrap his injured hand. Originally she would have decided that he wouldn’t have needed to keep his injuries wrapped much longer due to how much they’d already healed, but seeing how the scab had recently broken and bled, she felt it would be best to keep a protective layer for just a little longer.

Yamazaki was silent as she worked, and after she finished, she looked up to see that once again he was simply watching her… rather intently. He didn’t look away this second time that he’d been caught, his short brows pressing slightly in thought as her confused golden eyes met his questioning lavender, and Chizuru could quickly feel her cheeks heat slightly under the intensity of his gaze.

“Um… could I see your shoulder now?” She asked a little shyly.

That seemed to snap him from his spell as his eyes widened slightly in surprises, and he stammered out a slightly flustered, “Oh, right, o-of course!”

Quick to shift and turn his sitting position to grant her better access to his injured shoulder. He pulled down the top of his white juban to pool on the ground at his hips, exposing his bandage wrapped shoulder and chest to her. 

She quickly unwrapped the bandages, exposing the toned lean muscle of his chest and back, the skin of which was surprisingly lacking in any noticeable scars aside from the injuries he’d received the day they’d met. She focused her attention on the bite mark on his shoulder. Though not broken into as many pieces as the one on his hand, the scab had indeed split from the moving and pulling of his muscles. Noticeably more dried blood was caked around the injured skin, and it definitely looked more red and irritated than the other wound. Luckily, it didn’t seem to have bled too much before closing again.

“Are you able to move your arm without any trouble?” she asked.

Yamazaki gave a quick experimental roll of his shoulder. “Yes, I believe so.”

That made her smile as her attention focused onto the sake next to her, pouring a bit onto the cloth. “Then I think you only irritated the surface layer. The bleeding has already stopped, so your injuries should be fine after a bit of rest.”

Yamazaki nodded slightly to her, giving her a small side glance as she carefully cleaned his wound. Once again watching her intently as she focused on the gentle blotting motions of her task. It was as she glanced up and caught him quickly looking away that she frowned and asked, “Yamazaki-san, is something wrong? Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

He was starting to make her feel self conscious.

“My apologies…” he muttered out a small embarrassed apology, “It wasn’t my intention to stare. I’m just not used to seeing you like this… it’s still a bit jarring.”

_Like this?_

Her face paled and she could feel her stomach knot at the words, immediately realizing _exactly_ what he was referencing. He hadn’t brought it up before, and with the chaos of everything that had happened tonight, she didn’t have the time to really think about it until now, but… 

She her lip as she glanced downward, timidly asking, “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“There wasn’t any time.” He answered quietly, “I intended to ask about it in the morning, once things had calmed down.”

She nodded in understanding, a small silence filling the space between them. 

“... You probably want to know why I’m like this after I said that I couldn’t transform, don’t you?” 

He took a moment as he thought over his response, before answering in an understanding tone, “I won’t ask for anything more than what you’re willing to share.”

At first his response surprised her, but he must have realized how uncomfortable the topic had made her.

It took her a moment to think about exactly what she wanted to say, but she decided that she would tell him the truth. “It’s because of my mixed blood.” She explained with a quiet voice. “During the day I’m human— at least in terms of strength and durability that is— and at night… I’m like this.” Though she didn’t mean to, her voice dropped slightly in shame at the end of that sentence.

“I suspected as much” His tone was neutral. “And your brother, he’s the opposite, isn’t he? Oni during the day, human at night?”

“Yes, that’s right.” her answer was accompanied by a small nod. “It’s been that way ever since we were born.”

With a small upward glance, she could see that he was looking forward with an expression that she found difficult to read, but it was clear that he seemed to be thinking about something.

She started to tie two of the longer strips of cloth together at the ends to give her something to focus on as she mumbled out a slightly nervous, “I’m sorry for keeping it from you.”

That clearly surprised him as he quickly turned his head to look at her, before blinking in confusion. “What do you mean? Though it was surprising to learn this way, you’re entitled to your secrets.”

“I wouldn’t particularly say that this was a secret….” she admitted quietly. Most of her clan already knew the rules of her and her brother’s transformations, and he probably could have easily figured out the truth with a bit of logic. But she did go out of her way to hide this from him, so she understood why he may have thought that. “It’s just… I’m forced into this form every night, I can’t control or hide it even if I wanted to. I guess I just… didn’t want you to see this side of me…”

“Why not?” He asked in a slightly confused tone, turning his body towards her slightly, “It’s not as though you look much different from your brother.”

“Y-you have a point.” She agreed nervously, before admitting, “Even still… I’ve always hated this form. I may be weaker during the day, but at least I can pretend that I’m the same as everyone else in my clan. But at night, it’s so obvious that I’m different… and when I compare this form to the ones of my uncle or Suzumori-san… I can’t help but feel like it’s…” she trailed off, looking to the side.

Sharp elongated top and bottom canines that fueled stories of oni being man eating beast, long pointed ears, strong powerful arms with hands tipped with sharpened claw-like nails. These monstrous traits are what send humans into a state of fear and panic when faced with the sight of a pure blooded oni, but her kind found great pride in the definitive features of their true forms; the features that hardly presented in either her or her brother… Their teeth, while sharp, were rather small, and their ears were only slightly pointed. She’d been told before that she looked more human than oni, even in this form; with only the horns poking out from under her silvery white bangs to prove otherwise.

And her horns… The length and amount of horns that surfaced typically acted as a gauge of an oni’s true strength, and were considered the pride of their bloodline. Through her mother’s Yukimura blood, she would be expected to have four long horns like her uncle… but all she could manage as a hanyo were the two measly short ones resting on her forehead that invited ridicule even from oni of weaker bloodlines within her clan.

“... like it’s pathetic.” she finished in a quiet voice, low enough that it might not have even been heard at all.

Yamazaki didn’t say anything, and she couldn’t bring herself to see what sort of expression he was making. So instead she chose to quietly focus on her task of tying the longer strips of cloth together to make something long enough to wrap around his torso.

“I don’t think so.” His voice suddenly cut through the silence.

Her head jerked up. “... What?”

“I don’t think that this form of yours is pathetic.” He held her gaze, his expression straight as he spoke, as if he were stating the obvious. “In truth, I actually find it quite beautiful.”

“B-beautiful!?” She repeated with a surprised blush and widened golden eyes.

Yamazaki’s eyes widened slightly in realization of what he’d just said, and he quickly stammered out a slightly flustered, “Yes, well, objectively speaking that is-”

“Will you two **shut up**?!” Kaoru’s annoyed tired voice cut in from the other side of the shoji door, making them both flinch in realization of how loud their voices had gotten.

“Sorry!” They both hissed in whispered unison, which only earned an annoyed grumble in response.

They shared a quick look, and Chizuru couldn’t help but giggle quietly, to which Yamazaki responded with a small amused sigh and smile.

_Beautiful...?_

She let the word repeat in her mind again. A warm smile on her face as she quickly moved to wrap her improvised bandage roll around his injured shoulder, doing the best she could to keep the knots off his back as she did.

“Let me know if this is too uncomfortable to sleep on, I’ll be sure to adjust it the best I can.” she instructed quietly as she finished.

“I will.” he responded in a similar tone, his lavender gaze pointed forward as he stood and adjusted his juban back onto his body properly. A small kind smile then crossed his face as he turned to her and offered his hand to help her stand as well, “Thank you for your help, Yukimura-san.”

“I’m just glad I could help.” She couldn’t help but smile back as she took his hand, letting him help pull her into a standing position. “And thank you for talking with me, it really helped calm my nerves.”

He nodded, his voice quiet but kind and understanding, “Of course.”

And with that, they quietly wished each other a good night, and she crept back into the room while he went to return the borrowed objects to their rightful places. A small smile still resting on her face as she crawled back into her futon.

_Beautiful, huh?_

It surprised her how much she found herself clinging to that one simple word, and how it seemed to bring butterflies to her stomach the more she thought about it. That was… the first time someone had called her that. Not even her father had ever used the word when he spoke of her— pretty, yes, sometimes even lovely depending on the context, but never _beautiful—_ and of course neither her uncle or brother would ever be ones for such frivolous praise.

_Beautiful_.

The word repeated once more, and she pulled the futon cover over her face as if to hide the grin that was quickly pulling at her lips. The idea that someone would ever think of her that way... It made her strangely happy.

* * *

The sky had turned a muddy grey as the day went on, a gentle snowfall beginning to further cushion the blanket of white that covered the ground and trees in the surrounding white scenic winter forest. Chizuru sighed gently, a white puff of warm air escaping her lips as she watched the individual snowflakes slowly fall just beyond the protected section of the engawa around Kinu’s small home.

Yamazaki should have been back by now.

A full day had already passed since the attack on Yukimura village, and Kazuya still had yet to make an appearance. According to Kaoru, Yamazaki had apparently gone to the kawauso village long before she’d even woken up earlier that afternoon— a side effect of her sleeping schedule from the past couple of weeks— to ask the villagers if they’d seen the Yukimura clan leader. It was supposed to be a short trip, where he would come back right away regardless of the kawauso’s answer. 

But it’d been hours since he left. He should have come back by now.

The sound of a shoji door sliding open behind her was followed by a worried, “It’s pretty cold out, you should come inside.” in the sound of her brother’s voice.

She didn't even look back to acknowledge him, and simply pulled her legs to her chest with a quiet, “I’m fine.”

He was right of course, it was fairly cold. The winter chill was starting to turn her cheeks rosy and make her hands go numb. But still… She was worried sick, and a part of her felt as though seeing Yamazaki and her uncle coming from here might relieve this weight in her chest a little bit sooner. 

There was a small sigh at her response, followed by the sound of the door sliding closed and soft footsteps walking towards her. It was the sound of something being placed beside her that finally drew her attention to see a small circular tray with a pot of tea and two overturned cups on it.

Kaoru sat down on the other side of the tray, before he turned and flipped the cups over. “Kinu said to share this with you.” He explained as he began to pour the tea into the two cups.

“Oh, thank you.” She replied as he handed her a cup. Taking a sip of it, and sighing slightly at the way the hot aromatic liquid quickly began to warm her chilled body. 

Kaoru was quiet as he sipped at his tea as well, simply watching the light snowfall next to her. A few moments of this silence fell between them before he finally said, “I’m worried about them too, you know.”

“Huh?”

“About Father and uncle Kazuya, I mean.” He elaborated, looking up towards the sky. “But Uncle Kazuya’s stronger than anybody else. He’ll come for us, I just know it.”

“You’re right.” she agreed quietly, her chestnut eyes focusing on the small fragments of tea leaves floating in her cup. “Honestly, I think I’m more worried about Father at this point. He isn’t a fighter, so I can’t help but worry about what might have happened if one of those strange soldiers got to him.” She turned to look at him, and asked, “Did you happen to see him before we left the village?”

His expression hardened slightly as he looked down and shook his head. “No. I actually thought he was with you when I realized that neither of you were in your rooms. I don’t know where he was when that all started.” 

“I see.” she mumbled, feeling a little disappointed as she sipped her tea.

A few moments of silence passed between them before she remembered something that he said before, and added, “I’m not their favorite.”

Kaoru seemed surprised to hear that, and quickly turned to look at her with wide golden eyes, “What?”

“The other night, you said that I’d always been their favorite.” She explained, “But Uncle Kazuya and Father love us equally. It isn’t fair to them to say which one of us is their favorite.”

His white brows furrowed slightly, and for a moment Chizuru thought that he might try to argue with her. Then he sighed, and averted his gaze by looking forward as he agreed, “Yeah, I know.”

“Huh?”

With a slight slump of his shoulders, he admitted, “It’s just… Uncle Kazuya started acting weird after Yamazaki showed up, and it felt like he was giving you all this special treatment. I understand why now, but it still hurt to learn how much was being kept from me.”

Chizuru’s expression softened slightly at that. Of course Kaoru would be upset about that. He’d absolutely idolized their uncle ever since he was young. They’d grown up hearing stories of Kazuya’s impressive feats of strength in battle, and the victories that he’d had against their clan’s enemies. It was because of that admiration that her brother had taken interest in the sword in the first place, all in his attempts to be more like their uncle and earn his praise. For him to have found out that Kazuya had been showing Chizuru so much favoritism, it’s little wonder why Kaoru might want to lash out a little.

“I’m sure he didn’t intentionally try to keep it from you.” She reassured gently, “But the jewel… I think Uncle Kazuya was worried about what would happen if word got out that it was in our village, or what would have happened to me if anyone knew I had it. So he made sure that nobody knew about it, not even you or father.”

“Yeah, I get that. Don’t worry, I’m not mad anymore.” He responded with a small smile, before adding into his tea cup with an almost gloating tone, “Besides, you’re not the only one with a secret uncle Kazuya said not to tell anyone about.”

“Huh? Secret?” she repeated, “What secret?” 

“Dummy.” he responded with a tease, the pink of his tongue poking out mockingly, “If I told you, it wouldn’t be much of a secret, now would it?”

She puffed her cheek at him. But before she got her chance to complain, the light sound of a bell’s jingle echoed through the air, the imagery of the space around them warping like ripples on a freshly disturbed pond water. Causing both of their attentions to snap up and see Yamazaki approaching from the direction of the nearby river.

Chizuru’s heart dropped when she realized that he was alone.

Setting down her near empty cup onto the tray, she quickly hopped down from her sitting position and ran over to him, Kaoru following close behind.

“Yamazaki-san, you’re back!” She called out, stopping in front of him before asking, “Where’s uncle Kazuya?” clear concern slipping into her voice.

His expression dropped slightly as he closed his eyes and shook his head. “He hasn’t been by the kawauso village.”

Chizuru frowned slightly in disappointment, even if that was the answer she’d been expecting. “I see…”

Yamazaki was quiet for a moment, before explaining, “Sutori-san was kind enough to send some of his men to Yukimura village. They say that the fighting has stopped. I’ll be heading there to do some investigation for a few hours.”

She shared a quick glance with Kaoru, who nodded and said, “Alright, lets go.”

“No, you two are staying here.” Yamazaki stated firmly with a shake of his head, “I only came to inform both of you of my plans so that you wouldn’t worry.”

“Yamazaki-san, they’re our family.” Chizuru pleaded.

He shook his head once more. “It’s too dangerous. You two need to stay here with the jewel where it’s safe.”

“But-”

“If the jewel’s so important, then why are you leaving it behind?” Kaoru suddenly interrupted with crossed arms, and annoyed scowl on his face.

“I told you before, didn't I, because of Kinu’s tanuki magic, this is the safest possible place to hide the jewel until we get the chance to meet with your uncle again.” Yamazaki explained in a serious voice. “I need you both to stay behind and keep it and yourselves safe in my absence.” 

“No, I understand that much.” Kaoru responded, narrowing his golden eyes in suspicion, “All you ever talk about is this jewel, so I want to know why you're leaving it in the first place?”

“As a ninja of the Suzumori clan, it is my job to do reconnaissance and gather information on any potential threats to the Yase clan.” Yamazaki was growing visibly irritated at this point. “I believe an army of unkillable soldiers potentially taking control over Yukimura village would certainly constitute as such.”

Both siblings tensed at his words, and it took the man a moment to notice their shock and realize that he might have said something he shouldn’t have, before he looked away and added in a much calmer tone, “Not that there is any proof of that being the case, I just need to be certain…” 

“Yamazaki-san,” She finally forced herself to start, “are you sure it’s really going to be that dangerous?”

He looked to her, before glancing away with a sigh. “The kawauso didn’t enter the village when they went to scout it before, they simply got close enough to determine that the fighting had stopped.” he explained, “So I can’t be certain if there are still enemies lurking around or not.”

She nodded and looked down. “I see… Well, if there’s any chance that it’s going to be dangerous… I’d rather you not go at all.” She glanced up to see him giving her a look of slight surprise, and she explained, “I mean, your injuries are still healing after all. I’m just worried that something might happen to you, and we wouldn’t have any way of knowing until it was too late.”

The man’s expression softened slightly, but it only lasted a moment before he explained in a serious tone, “Please don’t worry, Yukimura-san. I’ve been trained for this type of reconnaissance since I was young, no harm will come to me.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Bringing the two of you along will only increase the chances of us being found by whatever enemy attacked your village.” 

“Then stay here!” She countered, a little surprised at the amount of emotion slipping into her voice, but this wasn’t about him taking them with him anymore. “I’m sure the things you’re worried about are important, but it can wait until it’s safe for all of us to go back together. I don’t want someone else to tell me that everything will be alright, then leave me alone to worry if that was ever true in the first place!”

He jolted a little, lavender eyes going wide in surprise. Even Kaoru was in a state of shock as he muttered, “Chizuru…”

She suddenly felt her cheeks warm in embarrassment of her outburst. He hands moved to link her fingers as she averted her gaze and mumbled, “I’m sorry. I’m being selfish, aren’t I?”

After a moment of silence, Yamazaki let out a small sigh. “Very well.”

“Huh?”

“I still intend to go to Yukimura village.” he explained, “But if you two insist on joining me, then I won’t stop you.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Really?”

“On the condition” He added in a slightly louder voice, “that you do exactly as I say and stay within my sight at all times, that is.” 

“Of course.” Chizuru nodded in understanding. 

“It’s not like we haven’t been doing that already.” Kaoru’s response came with crossed arms.

Yamazaki nodded, seemingly satisfied with their answers. “Well then, we should get going. We’ll need to be quick if we want to be back before dark.”

And so, after informing Kinu of their decision and asking her to relay it to Kazuya on the off chance that they missed him, they left for Yukimura village.

* * *

The walk to Yukimura village felt longer than it had away from it on that horrid night, likely in part to the additional snowfall slowing their pace; but Chizuru couldn’t help the uneasiness that rapidly grew in her chest the closer they got to the village that something was wrong.

Of course, being forced to wait a safe distance from the village as Yamazaki scouted ahead to be sure that it was safe to proceed, did nothing to relieve her of this feeling. Luckily he didn’t make them wait for long, and soon returned and informed them that there didn’t seem to be any immediate danger. However, she could feel a lump in her chest at the grim look on his face when they asked what he’d seen.

He didn’t answer the question, and instead told them to see for themselves.

Chizuru and Kaoru shared a similarly worried look, but said nothing as they followed him and pushed past the broken wooden gate that lead into their village. They had come prepared for the potential devastation that they would evidently face once they returned, or so they thought…

There was… nothing…

No villagers trying to assess the damage and pool their resources, no soldiers attempting to rebuild their strength, no Kazuya trying to maintain order as the head of their clan… Nothing… Only stillness and silence amongst the burnt and crumbled houses of the once mighty Yukimura village, that not even the rats or birds dared to disturb.

Golden and chestnut eyes widened in shock at the sight, but Yamazaki seemed less phased as he walked ahead with some sort of goal in mind, his head turning back and forth in surveillance as though he was looking for something.

As they quietly walked through the village, Chizuru could feel that uneasy feeling growing further within her. Though she never would have thought to describe her village or clansmen as “warm” before, there was a distinct coldness in the air that didn’t come from the lifeless winter chill. As though some ever present aura that had once blanketed the village in its familiar comforting glow was now missing, leaving nothing more than a bitter cold void in its place.

“I wonder where everyone is?” She murmured quietly to herself. 

“You don’t think that they’d just… abandon the village, do you?” Kaoru asked.

“I’m not sure.” Yamazaki responded as he continued to look around, “This is the Yukimura ancestral home, I find it difficult to imagine that your clan would simply abandon this place.”

Chizuru’s chestnut eyes widened slightly as they darted to Yamazaki’s form. “Then you don’t think that they’re all…?”

He shook his head, and explained, “It wasn’t difficult for the three of us to escape— all things considered— so I highly doubt that we were the only ones to do so. The villagers and castle staff should have at least been able to make it out safely.” He turned to look at them, and added, “It’s possible that your uncle determined the battle to be a losing one, and ordered your clansmen to take refuge within one of the Yukimura clan’s vassal villages until it’s safe to return here— much like what we’ve been doing.”

“You’re probably right.” She agreed with a small nod. That would also explain why he hadn’t come looking for them yet. As the head of the Yukimura clan, Kazuya’s responsibility to his people took priority, even over his own family.

“What I’m more concerned about is the lack of bodies.” Yamazaki continued, a troubled look crossing his face as he surveyed the scene around them once more.

_Bodies_?

In confusion, Chizuru found herself looking around. She quickly realized that the village was surprisingly lacking in the amount of bodies one would expect to see after a big conflict like this. In fact, she hadn’t seen a single body from either her fallen clansmen or their mysterious attackers since they had arrived.

“Do you think someone moved them?” She asked.

“Perhaps…” His answer sounded uncertain. “It’s difficult to be certain what happened here exactly, and the snow will make it difficult to determine where or if the bodies of the dead were disposed of.”

“If?” Kaoru repeated, “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

Yakazami glanced away with a troubled expression on his face, closing his eyes as he shook his head. “There are some houses at the edge of the village that seem to have been left untouched by the fires.” He explained in a thinly veiled change of subject, before looking back to them, “I’d like to investigate them, if that’s alright with the two of you.”

While Chizuru just quietly nodded, there was a slight scoff at her side at not getting a proper answer to the question, before Kaoru crossed his arms and muttered, “Do what you want.” 

Yamazaki nodded wordlessly, and started to turn in that direction. But Chizuru still couldn’t rid herself of that uneasy feeling, and finally gave voice to something that had been lingering in the back of her mind for a while, “Actually, Yamazaki-san, would it be okay for us to go to the Moon Spring instead?”

“The Moon Spring?” He repeated questioningly, before a look of realization crossed his face and he asked Kaoru, “Would that be the spring you mentioned the other night?”

Kaoru nodded, and she explained, “It’s where I’ve been cleansing the jewel at night. There’s something there I want to check.” Looking down a little timidly.

“That shouldn’t be a problem.” He answered plainly, prompting her look up and smile slightly at him in gratitude. “Please lead the way.”

With a small nod, she quietly began to guide the two of them through the village. That uneasy feeling in her chest that something was deeply wrong only worsening as they got closer and closer to the spring.

It was as they neared the first torii gate that marked the entrance past the invisible barrier that she felt a hand rest comfortingly on her shoulder as her brother asked, “Chizuru, are you okay?” and she realized that her hands were visibly shaking.

“Y-yes, I’m fine.” She answered with a forced smile, trying to will her hands to still themselves by casually interlocking her fingers together in front of her.

From the concern still showing in his golden eyes, it was clear that Kaoru wasn’t convinced, and Yamazaki added with similar concern, “Whatever happened here that night, don’t feel as though you need to force yourself to return.”

“No, it’s not that, Yamazaki-san. I’m not scared.” She reassured, before looking down and tightening the grip of her interlocked hands, “It’s just… something’s felt really off ever since we’ve gotten here…”

“Aside from the fact that everything’s burned down and nobody’s here?” Kaoru’s question border-lining sarcasm.

_Huh_? Her chestnut eyes widened in surprise as she turned towards him. “Kaoru, what are you talking about? You feel it too, don’t you”

That seemed to catch him off guard, as his expression quickly twisted into confusion. “Feel what?”

“It feels like… like something powerful but invisible that’s been here in the village all of our lives is suddenly just… gone.” She explained, “Haven’t you noticed it?”

“I-... I don’t know! Maybe?!” He answered in a loud confused tone. “I guess it’s pretty creepy how quiet it is?” 

From the look of complete bewilderment across his face, he genuinely had no clue what she was talking about. Yamazaki looked a little confused as well, but that was to be expected from an outsider. However, Kaoru had grown up here all of his life, just like she had, why couldn’t he tell how different the atmosphere felt? Was… was she seriously the only one who could sense this?

“I guess we can worry about that later.” She was still very confused of course, but right now she had something else to worry about. “This gate marks the start of an invisible barrier.” She explained, looking to Yamazaki, “Normally only those with Yukimura blood are able to enter, but you should be fine as long as you’re with us. Just stay close by so we don’t get separated, otherwise you’ll just end up back here.”

He nodded wordlessly.

“Right.” She murmured to herself before turning towards the gate. Truth being told, she had no idea if the barrier that protected the sacred spring would let an outsider, let alone a human like Yamazaki, through even if he was with the two of them. She’d never tried to go through it in her daylight human form either, so she couldn’t even be sure that she would be able to enter this sacred place herself as she was. 

But there wasn’t any other way to find out than to try. With that thought, Chizuru took a deep breath to steel herself, and stepped over the threshold of the first crimson gate.

Freezing, she felt herself pale at the realization that hit her once she’d made it all the way through. 

“Yukimura-san?” Yamazaki asked from behind her.

“Something wrong?” Kaoru questioned.

Both men likely noticing the panic in her body language.

“The.. the barrier isn’t up…” She whispered quietly, chestnut eyes wide in shock as a small sweat formed on her brow. The meaning behind those words hitting her much harder than she would have expected. 

And then, without any further warning, she was running. Kaoru and Yamazaki’s surprised calls of her name quickly fading into the background as she threw all her energy into moving her legs as quickly as they could carry her down the torii lined path… but still, no matter how far along she ran, the thick fog that signified the barrier that protected the spring wouldn’t form or obscure her view of the stony path in front of her. 

And when she finally passed under the final crimson gate before the circular cliff structure that protected the moon spring, she moved to cover her mouth as she let out a gasp of horror at the sight in front of her.

Kaoru and Yamazaki had been right on her tail as she’d been running, and caught up fully once she had stopped. However, she hardly even registered Yamazaki’s frustrated tone as he shouted her name, only to stop whatever scolding he’d prepared for running off so suddenly as the two men looked over the scene in shock as well.

The walls of the circular cave-like cliff structure had been cut and crushed, crumbling at the smallest agitation. Large chunks of ice were scattered against the ground and crumbling walls, and most of the area was simply iced over. None of the ice having even begun to melt in the cold winter air. Splatters of blood decorated the parts of the rocky and icy floor that were still visible past the layer of snow—which shouldn’t have even been able to lay in this sacred space in the first place due to the springs natural protective barrier— in irregular patterns of red. This was clearly the aftermath of a very intense battle.

And as for the spring itself… 

Chizuru took a shaky step forward, then another, and another, until she found herself falling to her knees in front of what little remained of the spring. “The spring, it’s…” she started with a broken breath into the hands still cupped over her mouth, “it’s… dead…”

“Dead?!” Kaoru repeated in a shock. 

Chizuru gave a single quick nod in response. At some point, the spring had been frozen solid during the fight that occurred after she had run off. The broken cliffs had crumbled in such a fashion that the rocks had come crashing into the frozen pool and sent frozen chunks flying into the surrounding space. At this point, it was impossible to tell the difference between the springs frozen sacred waters, and what had been the result of her uncles icy attacks.

“This is what I thought felt off before. _This_ is what was missing!” she choked out, eyes locked onto the scene in front of her. She never even noticed it until now, but the spring had been a consistent odd warm and comforting presence in her life, like a warm mother's embrace in the back of her conscious that made her feel safe and loved in it’s gentle hold. It’s power had long since reached across and protected the village without anyone ever realizing it, but now… “It’s power is…”

Yamazaki started to move around behind her, surveying the spring and the surrounding damage as she spoke. She only really noticed him once he kneeled beside her, lavender eyes looking over the crumbled boulders and broken fragments of ice in front of them, and asked, “You said before that you were using this spring to purify the jewel, is that right?”

“Cleanse, not purify,” she quietly corrected.

It was actually a little strange that she couldn’t feel the presence of the ceramic gourd she’d been storing the corrupted fruit of her labor inside of. It would be understandable if it’d been broken in the battle, the putrid black liquid of its contents spilled onto the cold hard ground, but Chizuru found that she couldn’t sense it’s vile power at all. If it was at the front of her mind, that would probably have her fairly concerned at the moment. 

“...but yes.”

His voice went slightly tense as he asked, “And you’re absolutely certain that the spring is dead?”

“I’ve been coming here and working with the spring every night for the past two weeks.” She explained, “I’d know better than anyone. It’s much stronger at night, but there should still be something during the day… But right now the spring, I can feel that it… it doesn’t have any power left in it.”

Beside her he made a small noise of frustration, but as she glanced his direction, she could tell from the ninja’s expression that he was clearly more worried than anything. Not long after, he stood and started to look around. 

Her own chestnut eyes followed the thick trail of ice that ran from the now destroyed spring, and ended at the sight of a katana dug deeply into the frozen earth. It was the Daitsuren, one of their uncle’s daishou*—a clear indication of who was responsible for the destruction of their sacred spring.

Kaoru was walking closer to the blade as well. He’d heard their conversation, but hadn’t said anything so far, so it was hard to tell what he thought about any of this. From the way his lips pulled into a troubled frown as he looked at the sword, he was clearly wondering the same question as her.

“Why would Uncle Kazuya do this?” 

Chizuru found herself flinching at the question. She didn’t want to believe the possibility either. The Yukimura were supposed to protect the Moon Spring, and as the head of their clan, Kazuya was the only person who understood the full reason why. The idea that he would ever destroy it… it was inconceivable. Yet there was no denying the evidence.

“I’m sure he must have had a good reason.” Was the only answer she could offer in response.

His brows and lips twitched slightly before he nodded. His voice slightly subdued as he agreed, “I guess we won’t know until we ask him ourselves.” 

After a deep breath, the young man cautiously reached his hand out towards the sword’s handle. He flinched slightly as his fingers brushed the dark cord wrapped grip, likely expecting the weapon to freeze him solid— something their father had warned them would happen as curious children to keep them from playing with their uncle’s belongings. However, a heartbeat passed without anything happening, and he then wrapped both hands around the handle and tried to pull it out with a grunt.

She forced herself to stand once more as her brother continued to wiggle and pull at the sword, the initial shock of seeing the spring in this state having now faded into confused sadness. That’s when the sound of a surprised shout caught her attention, and she turned her head just in time to see Yamazaki recoiling back from something on the ground. 

“Yamazaki-san, are you okay?” she asked, walking over to him.

“Yes, I’m fine.” he answered, holding his hand close to his chest and idly rubbing it for warmth while glaring at whatever he just tried to touch as though he’d just been bitten. “I may have found something though.” 

She walked closer, looking to see what he was talking about, and her chestnut eyes went wide at the glint of steel peeking through the patch of snow that had been cleared away.

She cautiously reached down for the weapon’s handle, Yamazaki warning an almost frantic, “Wait don’t-!” that didn’t reach her in time. She winced slightly at the nip of cold that rushed through her hand the moment it touched her skin— something likely much more mild than whatever punishment Yamazaki had received when he had attempted to do the same thing a moment earlier— and lifted it up to inspect it more closely.

If the icy magical energy emanating from the sword’s blade hadn’t been a clear enough sign, she could tell from the binding and pattern on the hand guard that she recognized this sword. 

“It’s… it’s the Shotsuren.” She muttered quietly, voice small in shocked disbelief. 

“Your uncle’s sword?”

She nodded silently, turning slightly to face her brother, who had just managed to finally free the Daitsuren of it’s frozen earthy prison— an action that sent him awkwardly stumbling backwards in an attempt to keep himself from falling back from the force he’d been using. The moment he spotted the sword’s sister blade in her hands, his golden eyes went wide in shock, before his brows pressed in worry as he met her gaze.

“The Daitsuren and Shotsuren are the symbols of the head of the Yukimura clan.” She said quietly, her voice surprisingly small as she glanced down, “Uncle Kazuya… he-... he wouldn’t just leave them behind…”

There was a heavy silence in the air as she bit her lip, the corners of her eyes stinging slightly as the meaning of these swords being here set in. Kaoru jerked his head to look away with a similar expression on his face. Neither of them capable of speaking their mutual realization out loud… in fear that giving voice to the thought would give it power as an undeniable truth.

“I see.” It was Yamazaki who finally broke the silence. “In that case, I think it may be best to return to Kinu-san’s and plan our next move.”

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“The reason the Shikon jewel was brought to the Yukimura clan was because they are the only of the oni clans with the ability to cleanse the jewel, and because the Yase Princess believed Yukimura Kazuya to be the best possible guardian to protect it.” He explained, looking to the side remorsefully, “However, now that both of those factors are gone,” She flinched a little at the word, but he continued, “it may be best to return the jewel to Yase and report what has happened here as quickly as-.”

“Uncle Kazuya isn’t dead!” Kaoru’s sudden outburst made her jump, and when Chizuru looked up, she was surprised to see how angry her brother had gotten. “He said he was going to come and find us! How can you just tell us leave him behind like that?!”

“I’m not telling you to do anything,” Yamazaki shot back with a tone that resembled that of a parent scolding a disobedient child, “I’m simply suggesting that we consider our options.” 

“Consider our options?” Kaoru repeated with a scoff, “I think you’ve already made up your mind.” 

“Kaoru-” Chizuru started, but was quickly interrupted. 

“He doesn’t care about us, Chizuru! He never did! The only reason he bothered to worry about protecting us is because you had his precious jewel on you, isn’t that right?” The question was directed at Yamazaki, but the younger man didn’t give any chance to answer as he continued, “If that wasn’t the case, then you probably wouldn’t have had any problem abandoning us that night, wouldn’t you?”

"Quite the observation from someone who can barely stand to be in the same room as me." Yamazaki commented with a vicious looking glare.

“So what? You humans are all the same! Selfish bastards who don’t feel an ounce of guilt about lying, and betraying anyone around them. Regardless of who ends up getting hurt.” his hands balled into fists as he continued to shout, “It’s your fault that this happened in the first place! If you hadn’t brought that stupid jewel to our village, then- then…”

He trailed off, and went quiet as he looked down and bit his lip. 

Chizuru took the opportunity to approach him and say in as gentle of a tone as she could muster, “Kaoru, that’s enough.” He didn’t say anything, and neither did Yamazaki, so she continued, “Yamazaki-san has done a lot to keep us safe these past few days. It isn’t fair for you to speak to him like that.”

He was silent for a moment, before bitterly asking without looking up to meet her eyes, “... Why are you taking his side?”

“There aren’t any sides, Kaoru.” she stated firmly, “I understand why you’re upset, I’m upset too, but Yamazaki-san isn’t our enemy.”

That seemed to set the boy off, as his brows furrowed and he opened his mouth and inhaled to shout something. But then seemed to decide against it as he instead clicked his tongue in frustration before suddenly turning and sprinting down the torii lined exit. 

Both Chizuru and Yamazaki called after him, but he soon disappeared out of view with the heightened speed of his oni form.

Instead of giving chase, Chizuru turned to the ninja as he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. A small bow as she apologized, “I’m sorry about that. This is just a lot to take in…” she looked down and frowned, “...for both of us.” 

He looked to her and shook his head. “You have nothing to apologize for, Yukimura-san, your brother is free to resent me if he wishes.” He looked back in the direction Kaoru had run off in, “After all, he did have one point. If the Yase clan hadn’t sent the jewel to your village, then I doubt any of this would have happened.” 

“But that wasn’t your fault!” She argued with a frown, “And if you hadn’t been here, then we both probably would have been killed that night. It isn’t fair for Kaoru to blame you like this!”

He smiled gently at her, “Thank you, Yukimura-san.” But that smile quickly faded as he added, “However, feelings of hatred and resentment are not so easily swayed when one is hurting. I doubt that sentiment will reach him in this state.”

She looked down and nodded sadly.

He sighed once more, before suggesting, “We should go find him before he runs off too far.”

“Right…”

He didn’t seem to be nearly as panicked or rushed to catch up with Kaoru as he had been when she ran off earlier, as he walked calmly along the stony torii lined path. Chizuru followed in silence, her chestnut eyes trained on the ground as she watched each step she took. 

Only once they were halfway along the path did she bring herself to ask, “Yamazaki-san… do you really think that uncle Kazuya is…?” She trailed off, unable to bring herself to say the word, but her meaning was clear.

He took a second to think before answering in a quiet tone, “I would like to hope not. However,” He looked back to her and added in a serious tone, “please understand that there is too much at stake to be overly optimistic in this situation.”

She simply nodded in understanding and looked back to the ground as she continued to walk in silence. An overwhelming guilt hitting her as she wondered if things would have been the same if she hadn’t left her uncle behind that night.

Was it her fault that things ended up as they did? 

Once they’d made it to the exit, they both promptly noticed Kaoru waiting for them. He was crouching on the ground, the Daitsuren resting loosely in his arms as the blade’s icy magic frosted the sleeves of his dark blue winter kimono, but he didn’t seem bothered by it.

Yamazaki cleared his throat, which garnered little attention from the younger man, and scolded, “Yukimura-kun, I told you not to leave my sight. Running off like that could have been incredibly dangerous, we can’t be certain if there are still enemies lurking in the area or not.”

Kaoru didn’t respond, not even bothering to look up to acknowledge Yamazaki as he spoke.

The ninja sighed. “I understand how you must be feeling right now.”

“Oh do you?” The younger man’s voice laced with sarcasm.

Instead of taking the provocation, Yamazaki ignored the comment continued in only slight annoyance, “However, my clan leader left me with the mission of making sure that the Shikon Jewel is returned to Yase safely. I still intend to return there, regardless of how much you resent the idea of it.”

Kaoru’s expression tensed, and Chizuru looked down with a sad frown on her face. 

“... That being said, I have no intention of asking either of you to join me.”

They both looked at him in shock. “What?”

“This is my mission and my responsibility.” He explained, “I cannot ask the two of you to risk your lives by involving yourselves any further than you already have in this.”

“You can’t mean that you’re going to be making the trip alone?!” Chizuru asked in a worried tone.

He nodded, answering quietly, “Yes. It may be better that way, actually.”

“What do you mean?”

He sighed and asked, “Neither of you have ever left your village until recently, correct?”

They nodded.

“To be frank, I believe that bringing you along would only hold me back.” He explained, “I have been trained for this sort of long distance travel, you two have not. I’ll be able to move much faster on my own, and I wouldn’t have the time or luxury to worry about protecting you.” His expression was serious as he stated, “That’s why it would be best for the both of you to wait at Kinu-san’s to meet with your uncle and explain the situation to him.”

“That’s fine by me.” Kaoru muttered, standing and brushing the dust off his kimono.

Yamazaki looked to Chizuru, who wanted to protest that the idea didn’t sit well with here, but couldn’t think of the right thing to say as she looked at the ground sadly.

Taking her silence as agreement, he nodded, and suggested, “Well then, we should get going before it gets too dark.”

* * *

The walk from Yukimura village back to Kinu’s was long and quiet, which gave Chizuru plenty of time to reflect on the days events.

Yamazaki hadn’t been in her life for very long, but it was strange to think about the notion of him leaving after everything they've been through together. Even if she knew that it would have to happen eventually. He was a member of the Suzumori clan after all, and a human as well, he couldn’t have stayed in Yukimura village forever… but still… she felt as though they had already grown quite close over the past couple of weeks since he’d been injured after saving her life…

Did they really have to say goodbye?

She shook her head of the selfish thought. Of course they would! Yamazaki had his mission… the mission to keep the jewel safe and return it to Yase. She couldn’t selfishly interfere with that just because she would miss him.

This had been the first she’d heard of his mission, but it was clear that it was important to him. If he really thought that the two of them joining him would hold him back, then maybe it would be best for them to trust him and stay behind where it’s safe… just like they’d been told to do.

Going with him would be dangerous. Who’s to say that it wouldn’t put them in a position where their lives might be weighed against the jewel?

She wondered… would Yamazaki potentially abandon them in that scenario?

With a discreet glance up to man’s back as he walked ahead, she couldn't shake the feeling that that notion didn’t fit the person she’d gotten to know at all. The Yamazaki she knew was kind, observant, and considerate of how his words and actions affected those around him. He was the type of person who would put the safety of a complete stranger above his own, even if it didn’t benefit him in any way. That kindness of his was what drew her to him in the first place after all.

While she couldn’t be certain if in an emergency situation he would choose her or her brother over the jewel, she _was_ certain that Yamazaki wasn’t the type of person who would just senselessly abandon someone if he could help it. If anything, she could see him doing everything in his power to keep them out of harm's way, even if it were to put his own life in danger.

She blinked at the thought, eyes widening slightly as a realization hit her. That’s it!

Yamazaki may indeed be capable of traveling alone, but he hadn’t done so on the way here. He had come to Yukimura village with the company of his clan leader, and she remembered how exhausted just that trip had left him when he first arrived.

Not to mention that his wounds were still healing. Even if they were healed enough for him to be able to move around, that didn’t mean they weren’t still sore, and he certainly wasn’t in his top condition. And if he got hurt, she knew that he would be severely weakened without someone else to lean on for help.

For him to travel all the way to Yase alone like this… it was nothing short of a death wish. Yet he wouldn’t ask the two of them for help because doing so would put them in danger, and he was being considerate of their feelings on the idea of leaving when Kazuya could still come for them.

Chizuru bit her lip at the guilt of having doubted Yamazaki, even for a moment. He wasn’t worried about them slowing him down, he just didn’t want them to be killed in a mission he saw as being his and his alone, and was trying to keep them away by assuring them he would be better off alone.

Her hand moved to grip the indigo bag her uncle had given her as it hung from a spare cord Kinu had given to her to tie the object around her neck; her fingers rolling the circular jewel inside through the fabric. 

_“I promise to find you once this is done.”_

Those were some of the last words her uncle had uttered to her while frantically shoving this bag and the jewel into her hands. A simple reassurance for her to not worry about him. Despite herself, she believed him… and she abandoned him to protect herself… Chizuru knew that she would never forgive herself for that. 

Yamazaki saw it as his mission to deliver the jewel to Yase, but she had been the one entrusted with the task to cleanse it in the first place. Even if she no longer had access to the Moon Spring’s power to do so, that was still _her_ mission. 

He wanted to protect her by sparing her from the danger of the long journey to Yase, but she wasn’t some child that needed to be protected. Her uncle taught her to fight so that she would be able to protect herself without being a burden to others.

Her grip on the indigo bag containing the jewel tightened.

She wouldn’t abandon Yamazaki to go and potentially get himself killed, all while being left in the dark to worry about his safety. Not again… not if she could help it at least...

By the time they had made it back to Kinu’s, night had recently fallen despite their efforts to be back before dark. This had caused both Yukimura siblings to shift into their respective nighttime forms. Though now that he had seen their transformations twice already, Yamazaki no longer gawked at the sight like he had on that first night.

It was shortly after they passed through the illusory barrier that surrounded Kinu’s home did Chizuru finally find the courage to call out, “Yamazaki-san?”

She stopped walking as she spoke, and both men in front of her did the same as they turned to give her questioning looks.

“Yes?”

Now that she had their attention, the girl took a quick breath to steel herself, before looking Yamazaki in the eyes and stating in a confident tone—

“I want to go with you to Yase village.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daishou-A set of matching Katana and Wakizashi swords that was often worn by the samurai class in Japan. These sets sometimes became the marker to signify a samurai's status as a warrior.  
> Truth being told, I'm not entirely sure if the Daitsuren and Shotsuren are actually daishou at all. The Shotsuren is specifically said to be a kodachi in game (which are a set length), not a wakizashi (which are tailored to the height of the swordsman), and given the age of the blades (from their original appearance in the Suzuka Gozen story, which was set in the early Heian Period) the Daitsuren may not even be a katana at all, and might actually be a Tachi, a longer straight edged blade that predated the katana. However I'll probably keep referring to them as a katana/kodachi in my story just to match the language the game uses.
> 
> \---
> 
> Happy (day late) valentines day everyone! I do apologize for how long this took.
> 
> This was admittedly a difficult chapter to write. It's also my longest chapter yet, but I'm satisfied with how it turned out in the end, and I hope you all liked it as well.


	8. Preparations

The faint smell of fish oil lingered in the air as Yamazaki looked over the contents of his bag, with only the small light of a tiny oil candle at his side to act as his guide in the dark room filled with the unmistakable chill of winter.

A small sigh escaped his lips as he closed the sealed container he kept his food rations inside of. No matter how he looked at it, there wasn’t enough to split between two people. It may not even be enough for one person if he was correct about how much longer the journey would become with the addition of someone so inexperienced and unused to traveling long distances like this.

It wasn’t just the food, however, there was also the matter of finding a spare bag, blanket, something to store water in, and the other various essentials for traveling in the wilderness for any extended period of time. His personal supplies simply weren’t sufficient to cover the needs of more than one person.

He glanced up. The meticulous clacking sound of a large loom being worked— paired with the shadows of movement catching on the thin paper of the shoji door of Kinu’s studio— indicating their host was still hard at work even at this hour. As to what she was working on exactly, he couldn’t be sure, he just knew that she had been working since around the time her three guests started to get ready for bed earlier that night, with no indication that she would be taking any sort of respite in the near future.

While Yamazaki knew that if he were to ask, Kinu would likely do all she could to help him gather whatever supplies and materials he needed for their trip; a part of him felt instinctively hesitant to interrupt her work. As kind and hospitable the tanuki woman had been so far, there was something uncomfortably intense about the aura coming from her studio as she worked. Even with the lieway their association with Yukimira Kazuya had granted them, he would rather avoid testing their hosts' patience if he could.

Besides, the idea of over relying on either their tanuki host or the kawauso villagers didn’t sit well with him in the first place. Considering how far into winter they were, food was going to be a rare and valued commodity no matter where he looked. Even a couple weeks worth of rations could still be strenuous for smaller communities like this depending on how well their initial winter preparations went. 

He thought more on the subject, and soon recalled that some of the outer homes of Yukimura village had remained untouched by the flames. If even one still had a family's worth of rations for the winter, then that would be more than enough for what they needed— with the leftover material potentially going to Kinu to make up for their intrusion on her home.

He wouldn’t have the time to make kikatsugan*, which is what was usually stocked for longer missions like this. However both hyourougan* and katayaki* traveled exceptionally well without spoiling, and they were relatively easy to prepare with the supplies that could be found in the average household.

All things considered, he would probably only need a couple of days to gather and prepare everything they would need to account for Chizuru’s addition should she accompany him to Yase.

 _If_ he agreed to let her join him, that is.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard the shoji door behind him sliding open. He turned his head to see the girl in question standing at the door. Her pink winter outerwear draped loosely over the white juban she had been wearing to bed— over which the small tsubaki embroidered indigo bag that she kept the jewel inside of notably hung from her neck— and her silky silvery white hair just barely disheveled from the tossing and turning she tended to do at night when she couldn’t sleep.

She looked him over quickly, and before he had a chance to get a word of greeting out otherwise, she asked, “Yamazaki-san, why are you still awake? Don’t you realize how late it is?” Though her words came off somewhere close to scolding, that was overshadowed by the clear tone of worry in her quiet voice as she spoke.

“I was just going over my supplies.” He answered in a quiet voice as to not disturb the other occupants of the small house, but still loud enough for her to catch. Turning his attention back to his neatly scattered belongings as he added, “I was nearly done already, so I won’t be long.”

There was a small, “Oh, alright…” and behind him he could hear the door slide shut, followed by the gentle pad of footsteps on the tatami mat approaching him.

He started to repack his supplies into his bag in a quick and orderly fashion as he asked, “And you?” as she sat down beside him, “Are you still having trouble sleeping at night?”

“Sort of,” She admitted with an embarrassed chuckle beside him, “but I guess I just have a lot on my mind right now. About what happened in Yukimura village, and what comes next, I mean…” 

That was certainly understandable considering what they had seen at Yukimura village. Learning that everything she had ever known had been destroyed in a single night, not even knowing if her family was even still alive or not. Anyone would need some time to process all of that.

“Are you having second thoughts about what you said before?” He asked with a small side glance. 

“No, nothing like that.” She answered with a small shake of the head, before looking down with a slightly sadder expression, “... But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous…” She was quiet for a moment as he returned his attention back to his task, before finally asking in a quiet voice, “Speaking of which, have you put any thought into your decision?”

His brows pressed slightly at the question as he continued to pack his bag. That’s right, he still hadn’t given her a proper answer to her request from earlier that night.

_‘I want to go with you to Yase village’_

Though he’d initially been against the idea of her accompanying him on this journey, he found it difficult to turn her down after seeing the firm resolve glimmering in those radiant golden eyes of hers.

...Especially not when he knew there _were_ benefits to having someone around to watch his back.

In the end, Yamazaki asked to have the night to think it over, and promised to give his decision in the morning.

“I have.” He answered quietly, “That’s the reason I’m out here in the first place.” He certainly didn’t miss the way the girl seemed to perk up at his words, and he frowned slightly as he added, “That’s not to say that I have an answer for you yet, I simply wanted to know how feasible it would be to accommodate you _should_ I actually agree.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t rush you for an answer right now.” Chizuru reassured with a half smile, “But it makes me happy that you’re actually considering it.”

At first he was inclined to ask what she meant but that, but closed his mouth as he remembered how she had been treated back in Yukimura village. If anything, she was probably used to being brushed off over less than this, and likely knew better than to expect much else from the people around her. So he decided against taking the comment personally.

Instead, he chose to ask something he should have earlier, “Yukimura-san, why is it that you want to go with me to Yase?” She blinked in slight surprise at him, and he elaborated, “It’s not just the senbiki okami that we encountered the other night, from here on out, we’re likely to encounter numerous other dangerous yokai that are more than willing to kill in order to get a hold of the Shikon Jewel’s power.” His brows pressed slightly as he held her gaze, “This mission is going to be dangerous. Try as I might, I cannot guarantee that I’ll be able to protect you if you choose to accompany me.”

Chizuru went quiet for a moment, looking down at her hands neatly folded over her lap as she thought over her answer. When she did speak, her voice was quiet and sad as she reached up to rest her hand over the indigo bag hanging from her neck, “My uncle entrusted me with the task of cleansing the Shikon jewel himself. It’s the first real responsibility anyone has ever given me, and even if I’ve lost the means to finish the task myself, it would feel wrong if I didn’t at least try to see it through to the end.”

So it was because of a sense of responsibility? It was a feeling Yamazaki understood all too well, of course. But unlike him, who only had a flimsy place within the Suzumori to return to, she still had people who cared about her. Her brother, and the possibility that she could still reunite with her family. Didn’t she realize that if she were to be killed because of this whim of a decision to travel with him, she would lose all of that?

“But more than that, “ She continued, looking up to meet his gaze, her silvery white brows pressing in seriousness as her hands moved back to her lap and she adjusted her sitting position to face him properly, “if I’m being honest with myself, the biggest reason I want to go with you is probably _because_ I know it’s going to be dangerous.”

“What… do you mean by that?”

“I understand that it would be safer if I just stayed here with my brother and waited for my uncle like we had been told, but that doesn’t change the fact that _you’re_ still risking your life.” her hands pulled into a tight fist, bundling her outer layer of pink fabric between her fingers as she spoke, “The idea of leaving someone else to their fate, not knowing if they could be hurt or worse because of that decision… I’m scared of going through that again… Of course, if what you said before is true, and you really think that I’ll be nothing more than a nuisance, then I’ll respect your decision in the end.” She then looked up to meet his gaze, and he could see that same sparkle of determination as before in those glimmering golden eyes of hers as before, “But if going with you has even the slightest chance of making your journey safer, then I want to be by your side— even if it means putting myself in danger as well.” 

Yamazaki gasped softly, and he could feel his eyes widen. She was willing to risk her life… for his sake?

It had been the jewel that he had brought into her home that had cost her everything. He knew that if she were to be killed because she got any further involved in the matter, then he wouldn’t ever forgive himself. He thought telling her to stay behind had been a kindness, but to think that she would be so insistent on joining him for such a similar reason…

“... Are you certain you wouldn’t regret that decision?” He asked. “Considering everything else you would be leaving behind in return, that is?”

Her resolve was clear and unwavering as she held his gaze and told him in a serious voice, “I would regret it even more if I let you go alone.”

He was silent for a moment in response, before whispering a quiet, “... I see.” It wasn’t until he spoke that he finally noticed the smile that was slowly creeping onto his face, and attempted to hide it by casually moving his hand to cover his mouth as he averted his eyes.

Yamazaki couldn’t quite place this unfamiliar flutter in his chest, but he didn’t find the feeling unpleasant either.

After taking the time to clear his throat and calm his expression, he started. “Well, regardless of your intentions, you’re still inexperienced and lack any sort of training for a long distance journey such as this. The fact that you would be relying so heavily on me would make you more of a hindrance than an asset.”

His words quickly made the girl deflate a little as she looked back to her lap sadly.

“I suppose that means I’ll just have to teach you what I can before we leave, won’t I?” 

Chizuru’s head immediately whipped up questioningly, “Huh…?”

“Of course, I would likely travel faster on my own.” He started, looking away with a sigh, “But even I understand that it would be both dangerous and reckless to attempt to complete this mission without at least one person to watch my back.”

“Then, does that mean…?” She started quietly, trailing off as though she was afraid to jinx it.

“If you’re absolutely certain that you won’t regret this decision, I would be grateful to have you at my side” He smiled gently at her. “Let’s go to Yase together, Yukimura-san.”

Her golden eyes widened and glimmered at him, before a wide grin quickly overtook the girl’s face. “Really?!”

“ _On the condition_ that you agree to learn some basics of survival in the wilderness before we leave.” He added, being certain to express that this was a non-negotiable point for him. “I have no intention of playing the role of babysitter, and I expect you to pull your weight while we’re traveling. Do you understand?”

She nodded, the smile on her face far from disappearing, “Of course!”

He smiled with a huff of amusement at her blatant excitement, and nodded back.

Soon after the girl let out a soft yawn, and he quietly suggested, “You should head back to bed if you're tired.” Though the second the words escaped his mouth, he heard a soft ‘tap’ of wood hitting wood, and he subtly glanced back to the shoji door that separated the main room from their shared bedroom.

Lavender eyes narrowed momentarily, it would appear that _someone_ had been listening in on their conversation just now. Though if the girl beside him noticed at all, she certainly didn’t show it on her tired face.

He then looked back to his supplies, still splayed out before him, and continued casually as though nothing had happened in the first place, “I just need to finish up with this, and then I’ll be sure to get some rest myself.”

Chizuru nodded silently at him, tiredness beginning to show in her golden eyes, and started to move to stand. 

However, she hesitated before her legs had a chance to fully commit to the action and looked down to the indigo bag hanging from her neck. Her fingers then reached up to delicately touch the object as a look of conflicted concentration crossed her face.

“Actually, Yamazaki-san…” She started in a surprisingly serious voice, drawing his attention back to her, “If we’re really going to be traveling together, then there’s something I need to tell you. It’s about the jewel, and what I was doing in the forest that day we first met…”

* * *

Chizuru hummed quietly to herself as she set her sewing needle down and cut the thread that attached it to the dark grey garment of clothing resting on her lap. 

Yamazaki had left for Yukimura village a few hours before she had woken up for the day, leaving her and her brother to their own devices until he came back with whatever supplies he could find in the remaining undestroyed homes on the outskirts of the village.

In that time, Chizuru decided to try to make herself useful by attempting to mend Yamazaki’s torn winter kimono, which had been destroyed in the confrontation with the senbiki okami from the other night.

Since such a large portion of the back had been completely ripped off in the fight, she had been forced to find something to patch the hole with. Kinu didn’t have anything that would blend naturally with this specific shade of grey, and when Chizuru had asked if it would be okay to use any of the rolls of cloth out on display around the central room, the tanuki woman had pointed her to a blue cloth that she said would compliment the kimono’s color— notably shouted from behind the closed door of her studio, where Chizuru doubted that the older woman could even _see_ the article of clothing in question in the first place.

Yamazaki had told her before that he didn’t mind that the kimono had been damaged, since his shokozu was warm enough for him to travel comfortably in and he only wore the other outfit in situations where it was better to dress in his casual clothes. Since they would be avoiding human settlements for the majority of their upcoming journey, he said that he likely wouldn’t have much use for it. But still, she thought that it would be a waste to leave it behind if a situation arose where he would need it.

She splayed the dark grey kimono out over the tatami mat in front of her to inspect her work, almost immediately frowning in disappointment at the sight.

It looked terrible.

Chizuru was fairly good at sewing, it had been one of her hobbies back in Yukimura village after all, so she didn’t doubt the quality of the stitch itself. However, with the large asymmetrical triangle of azure patterned waves across the back of the otherwise patternless dark grey kimono, she wouldn’t blame Yamazaki if he decided to leave the article of clothing behind in the end.

With a sigh, she folded her finished work, and placed it by the other minimal belongings that the ninja had left behind in their shared room. 

Her thoughts soon shifted to Kaoru, who she knew was training outside. He’d been out there for a while now, and even with the heightened strength and stamina of his daylight oni form, he was likely getting pretty tired from the exercise if he was still going at it.

Since Kinu had given the three of them free reign to use whatever they needed while she was working— her only caveat being a request to set some food aside for her whenever they prepared their meals, as she would likely forget to eat otherwise— Chizuru made her way from their shared bedroom to the kitchen area. After heating up some tea to stave off the cold, she packed together some onigiri with what little remained of the leftover rice from this morning’s breakfast, and placed her refreshments on a small tray before heading outside.

The glint of steel in the sunlight caught her eye as she slid open the shoji door, and she spotted the sight of her brother doing practice swings not too far off from where she was now.

She carefully and quietly closed the door behind her, before setting her tray of refreshments down on the engawa. And though she knew that he’d seen her coming out, it wasn’t until Chizuru called out, “Kaoru, I made you some tea and snacks.” that he finally paused and acknowledged her presence by looking up at her. She smiled softly at him, and offered, “Why don’t you come and take a break?

He nodded silently, and she took the time to sit down on the edge of the engawa and pour cups of tea for both of them as he sheathed his sword and made his way over to her.

“Thanks.” He muttered as he took one of the rice balls off the tray, not even looking in her direction as he spoke. He then leaned back against the engawa, not quite sitting on it, but enough that it took some of the weight off his feet, and took a small bite of the snack.

Chizuru frowned. He’d been acting like this since she’d woke up, apparently after she assumed Yamazaki had told him about their finalized plans to leave for Yase within the next few days. If he was angry with her, she wished he would just say so, instead of whatever _this_ was supposed to be.

Chestnut eyes drifted downwards, locking on the Diatsuren and Shotsuren wrapped and bound in a length of patternless pure white cloth as they rested against the same raised platform she was sitting on.

The Yukimura daisho were incredibly powerful demon blades, and as such, they exuded a strong magical aura that manifested as a bitter cold that frosted over anything they touched. Special scabbards had been crafted to contain their magical energy when the two blades had first been forged, as ordinary ones would break otherwise. However, they assumed those must have been lost in the battle at some point, since they couldn’t be found anywhere back at Yukimura village.

Yamazaki had been the one to suggest wrapping them in wisteria silk, as the material was apparently good at holding back strong demonic auras. It seemed to be working fairly well as far as she could tell, the silk fabric itself only getting a few notes colder than the chilly winter air would have on its own from the icy magic. They were lucky that their tanuki host had some of the rare fabric on hand, and was willing to let them use it. 

It was then that she realized that he’d been using the short straight edged blade Yamazaki had lent him the night that their village had been attacked, to train, and not the two swords that they had recovered the previous day.

“I’m surprised that you’re still using Yamazaki’s sword.” She commented curiously, mostly in an attempt to start a conversation. 

Kaoru glanced up at her as he licked some rice off of his fingers with a look of confusion, before his golden eyes seemed to notice the wrapped swords sitting between them. He then frowned and scoffed, “We both know that only the head of the Yukimura clan is allowed to use the Daitsuren and Shotsuren. Uncle Kazuya would yell at me if he found out I was playing with them.”

Chizuru looked down and nodded sadly in response, “Yeah, I guess so…”

She knew that Kaoru was still under the impression that Kazuya would come for them like he said he would. It was the reason that he was so opposed to the idea of going to Yase from the start, after all. He was convinced that their uncle was just licking his wounds at one of the other Yukimura vassal clans, or that he was too focused on the safety of his clansmen to worry about them right now. His most creative theory being that maybe Kazuya had let himself be captured by the enemy in some intricate plot to bring them down from the inside, as a way to explain why he would have left the Yukimura daisho behind.

It’s not that Chizuru didn’t want to believe that their uncle was fine as well, but… Kaoru hadn’t been there that night, he hadn’t seen the way the masked man had thrown the infamously powerful Eastern Blizzard around like a doll without even so much as touching him. How do you fight someone like that? Not to mention those soldiers that wouldn’t die… 

She shook the thought from her head. She shouldn’t be thinking like that! It wasn’t that she wanted to doubt her uncle, but she also couldn’t allow herself to stay still and do nothing but worry until he arrived. She… she just needed to focus on what was ahead of her right now.

So instead she decided to somewhat change the subject by voicing another concern of hers. “You know… you’re going to have to give Yamazaki-san his sword back when we leave.”

She watched as Kaoru tensed slightly, before a frown pulled at his lips and he agreed quietly. “Yeah… I guess so.”

Silence fell between them as Chizuru sipped at her tea, while Kaoru finished the last of the rice balls before reaching for his own cup. But it was him who eventually broke the silence to ask, “Do you really have to go with him?”

“I do.” She answered quietly, but firmly, “If I let Yamazaki-san go alone, and he got hurt or worse when I could have done something to prevent it… then I don’t think I could forgive myself for that.”

Kaoru went quiet in response to that, and sighed a moment later as he muttered, “Yeah, I guess you’ve never been the type to leave that sort of thing alone, huh?” He frowned, and murmured quietly into his cup. “Hey, remember that thing you said yesterday? You know, about Yamazaki not being our enemy…?”

“Yes?” Chizuru answered in surprised curiosity as she looked at him with a confused gaze.

Her brother hesitated as his golden eyes met her widened chestnut. His lips pursed, and Kaoru finally asked, “Don’t you think you’re getting a little too involved with him? I mean, it’s not like you even know each other that well, and he’s a human too. I just think you’re being too trusting, is all.”

“Kaoru, don’t forget he saved my life, _both_ of our lives, from the senbiki okami.” She reminded him with a frown, “He hasn’t given us any reason _not_ to trust him.”

“That you know of…” Kaoru muttered callously into his cup.

“What exactly is that supposed to mean?” She asked with pressed brows. He was really starting to sound like their father, and _not_ in a good way.

Kaoru’s golden eyes narrowed viciously at her, but only for a moment before he scoffed in annoyance as he set his cup of tea down on the tray between them. “You know, he may be a weakling human, but he’s not some helpless mewling kitten either!”

“Huh…? Kitten???” She repeated in bewildered shock, “What does that have to do with-”

“You shouldn’t act like you’re the only thing keeping him from getting himself killed on this stupid suicide mission of his.” He continued with an irritated tone as he walked back out into the snowy clearing, “That bastard’s fully capable of taking care of himself.”

Chizuru frowned sadly as she watched him walk off. It’s not that she didn’t understand what Kaoru was trying to say, but even Yamazaki himself admitted that he couldn’t do this mission alone, surely that justified her reasoning well enough?

With a sigh, she looked down at the footprints he left behind in the snow. Deciding not to push the subject in fear of it really turning into a fight between them.

That’s when she finally noticed how deep the snow actually was. The sky was clear today, but the snowfall from yesterday had really piled up while they were at Yukimura village.

It somewhat reminded her of the snow that would gather in the castle courtyard this time of year, and how she and Kaoru used to wake up early to play in it when they were children.

A smile crossed her face as an idea came to mind, and Chizuru quickly slid down off of the engawa.

Kaoru had just unsheathed his borrowed sword to resume his training, when a snowball suddenly hit him in the side of the head, dusting his silvery white hair and dark blue winter kimono in white.

Almost immediately he whipped around and glared at Chizuru, who was grinning childishly while holding another snowball in her hands, and he shouted, “Hey!”

She couldn’t help but giggle in response, and teased playfully, “You let your guard down!” before throwing the second snowball at him.

However, now that he’d seen it coming, Kaoru was able to effortlessly turn his torso in order to dodge the hit aimed for his shoulder that time.

Still, she continued playfully, “Come on! It’s been so long since we last had a good snowball fight! You wouldn’t want all this perfect snow to go to waste, would you?”

The boy looked at her in shock for a moment, before he sighed and sheathed his sword. “Alright…” When he met her gaze, Kaoru had a dark glint in his golden eyes as he grinned wickedly at her. “But don’t forget, **you asked for it**.” 

_Oh…_

Chizuru felt a cold sweat form on her brow as she watched her brother bend down to quickly pack a small arsenal of snowballs of his own.

She just remembered _why_ she stopped having snowball fights with him as a child.

With a simple ring of the small brass bell, the imagery of Kinu’s small home rippled into view.

Even now Yamazaki couldn’t help but be impressed. Their tanuki host claimed to be a simple weaver and seamstress in service of the Yukimura clan, but for one individual to be able to create a pocket space such as this required great experience and skill with some very powerful magic.

He walked forward as the scene cleared and steadied itself before him, looking up to make eye contact with Kaoru from across the distance. The moment he’d been spotted, the younger hanyo’s expression twisted into a baneful scowl, as though he’d just been spat on.

Though that only lasted for a moment before a snowball hit the boy in the back of the head.

Kaoru suddenly whipped around with a, “Hey!” to his sister, who was looking out from behind a tree and giggling as though she hadn’t noticed Yamazaki’s presence in the first place. 

The Yukimura boy then quickly reached down and scooped up a handful of snow before chasing after the girl. The pair soon disappearing behind a corner of their host’s home in a fit of laughter and playful shrieks.

Yamazaki couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He couldn’t recall a point when he’d seen either of them acting so carefree and happy, not even during his time in Yukimura village.

It was nice to see them smiling again.

So, adjusting the woven basket hanging off of his shoulders, Yamazaki quietly made his way to Kinu’s home. He would let the two have their fun without interruption. For now at least.

They deserved it after everything they’d been through these past few days.

* * *

A bright trail of sparks chased after the kunai as it struck across the dark stone’s edge, and Chizuru’s chestnut eyes widened at the sight of a small crescent shaped ember landing in the nest of tinder in front of her.

“Yamazaki-san! Look! I did it!” She cheered, looking up to the man sitting beside her with an excited grin across her face. 

It had been two days since their initial visit to Yukimura village. Most of Chizuru’s and Yamazaki’s time since then had been dedicated to preparations for their journey to Yase. Things such as preparing supplies, packing their bags, planning out various details in regards to the journey itself, as well as going over the potential dangers they may face along the way.

Between all of that, as per Yamazaki’s condition for allowing Chizuru to accompany him in the first place, he had also been taking the time to teach her the various skills he thought would be necessary for her to have as they travel. She already knew how to defend herself in battle, but there were so many basic skills that she never had any reason to develop in her relatively sheltered life back in Yukimura village, that it really put into perspective how much she had to learn. 

Today, as they were waiting for their first batch of travel rations to cool, he was taking the time to teach her the basics of starting a campfire.

In response to her excitement, Yamazaki smiled softly and nodded back to her. “Yes, you did a good job, Yukimura-san.” His attention then turned back to the pile of tinder itself, which he quickly scooped into his hands. “Now we want to encourage the tinder to catch fire. It’s best to fold the tinder over the ember as we do this, but remember to be careful not to crush it…”

She watched and studied the way Yamazaki gently blew on the ember, which quickly grew into a small flame that burned and withered the tangled mess of wood fiber in his hands. He was quick to move after that, gently placing the small flame below the carefully shaped stack of dry sticks they had prepared earlier. It didn’t take long after that for the kindling to catch, and soon they could feel the heat of the heavy blaze before them.

Chizuru couldn’t help but be a little amazed. From creating the tinder, finding dry enough sticks to use as kindling, to the effort they went through just to make sure it actually went up in flame. Creating a campfire in these conditions was so different from the controlled charcoal flames that the servants maintained back at the castle for cooking and heating, but it was strangely satisfying to see their efforts coming together like this.

She watched the flame crackle and slowly settle into a lighter more steady gentle blaze than its initial pyre, quietly basking in it’s warmth.

“Yamazaki-san…” She eventually started in a timid voice. His attention turned to look at her, and she continued with a curious tilt of her head. “I was wondering, what’s Yase village like?”

“Yase village is…” He thought for a second. “I suppose humble would probably be the best term to describe it.” he started, “Despite being one of the older and more influential oni clans, Yase is rather small and communal in nature. The villagers are tight knit, set in tradition, and tend to be wary of outsiders. Enough so as to rely on a powerful barrier to keep anyone not of Yase descent out of the village— well, with _certain_ _exceptions_ , of course.”

Her lips pursed in slight worry. Would it be okay for her to go to Yase then, if that’s how things were? Not only was she an outsider, but with her mixed human blood, she couldn’t help but worry about what they would think of her… Though she decided against voicing the concern in favor of letting him continue.

“The village itself is located on Mount Hiei.” He continued, “So though the snowfall isn’t nearly as heavy this time of year as it can be this far East, the village does see quite a bit of it sometimes up until mid spring. But…” his lips curled into a small smile, “that does grant it quite a view. There’s one location at the edge of the village that Suzumori-san showed me. On cloudless nights, you almost get lost in how many stars there are in the sky, and at the crack of dawn… it gives the most perfect view of the sunrise over the neighboring mountains and hills I’ve yet to witness.”

The fire crackled gently, and Chizuru found herself lost in the expression gracing his face as he described the image while gazing into the flame and gazed into the crackling fire in front of him. She wasn’t used to hearing Yamazaki speak so personally about anything, or with so much emotion, but it was clear that he was incredibly fond of the place he was describing. A part of her feared that speaking would shatter the moment.

His lavender eyes flicked in her direction, and she quickly averted her gaze at the realization that she’d been staring. He quickly cleared his throat after that, before saying, “That aside, I believe we’ve waited long enough for our rations to cool. We should head back before we lose too much daylight.”

And just like that, the moment was broken.

“Huh? O-oh, right! Of course!” She nervously agreed. She’d nearly forgotten that this little lesson was only supposed to be a quick distraction from their actual preparations to leave tomorrow.

The flame went out quickly with a violent hiss as Yamazaki tossed the bucket of water he’d brought with him onto it. He added a quick explanation and warning to always be sure to smother the last of the embers when putting out a campfire as he stomped out the final trail of smoke with a pile of snow, before leading her back to Kinu’s home.

Chizuru quietly walked behind Yamazaki with her fingers interlocked in front of her. Chestnut eyes catching sight of the awkward triangle of azure on the back of his dark grey winter kimono, which he had decided on not throwing out, despite her embarrassment on the finished outcome.

The crunching of footsteps in the snow filled the silent air between them, and Chizuru took a quick breath, before asking, “Yamazaki-san?”

He paused and looked back at her, “Yes?”

“I was wondering, that spot with the view of the sunrise… Do you think…” She looked up to meet his curious gaze, and asked, “Would it be okay if you showed it to me when we get to Yase? I would love to see it myself.”

He blinked in surprise, lavender eyes widening slightly. Then, something in his head seemed to click, and he smiled kindly at her, “Of course. So long as you don’t have a fear of heights, that is.”

She couldn’t help but nod and smile back in response, “Okay! I’ll be looking forward to it then!”

With that out of the way, Yamazaki nodded back, and continued to lead the way back to Kinu’s, Chizuru following with a small skip in her step. Their journey was going to be long, difficult, and dangerous, but she was surprised at how reassuring it was to have something to look forward to at the end of it.

* * *

Gentle hues of pink morning light filtered through the thin paper of the shoji door and window coverings of Kinu’s small home, as Chizuru scowled balefully at her breakfast.

Yamazaki, the apparent early bird that he was, had woken her up at the crack of dawn claiming that he wanted to be on the road as soon as possible to avoid wasting daylight. But not even the warm cup of tea or breakfast that he offered her could make Chizuru happy to be dragged out of her nice warm futon and into the bitter winter chill that otherwise permeated the house. 

By the time Yamazaki had finished eating, he looked up to see that she had barely touched her own food, and frowned a little as he said, “Yukimura-san, you need to eat your breakfast.

“I’m not hungryyy.” She whined, her head falling to the side in dreary rebellion of being awake at this time in the morning in the first place.

It was a simple meal really— a bowl of rice paired with some miso soup, and a grilled fish— but the idea of eating anything so soon after waking up honestly made her stomach curl in disgust.

“We have a long day ahead of us.” He reminded her gently, “If you don’t eat now, you’re going to regret it later.”

The only protest she could muster was a soft groan.

Honestly, she just wanted to go back to bed and get at least another hour of sleep… maybe two… or five...

Yamazaki was silent in response, and she didn’t care enough to open her eyes to see what sort of expression he was making. But a moment later, he let out a small sigh and spoke in a voice that resembled what one might use to pacify a fussy child, “Yes, yes, I understand.” Chestnut eyes blinked open at the soft sound of his footsteps getting closer, and she watched as he knelt down and took the bowl of rice off of her tray. “If I pack this for you to eat later, will you at least try to stomach the rest for now?”

She looked down to her tray, finding that the small bowl of soup and fish looked much less intimidating without the large bowl of rice to accompany them.

Her only response was a tired nod before she hesitantly started sipping at the miso soup. Yamazaki nodded back, and walked off with his dirty dishes and the bowl of rice in hand as she quietly ate.

By the time she had finished, the light of the morning sun had now begun to illuminate the shoji doors in a bright white glow.

Her mind was certainly more awake now, but tiredness still lingered in her muscles. Chizuru stretched after placing her dirty dishes in the basin to be washed later. Her attention then turned to Yamazaki as he looked over their belongings, which he had placed close to the door.

“Do we have everything?” She asked as she walked over to him.

“For the most part.” He answered as he looked over the contents of her bag, before placing a small onigiri sized bundle wrapped in a green cloth inside and closing it, “There’s just one thing-”

The sound of a shoji door suddenly flying open cut him off, and they both looked up to see Kinu standing at the opening of her workroom with an almost wild grin on her face as she cheered proudly, “I’ve finished it!”

“Kinu-san?!” Chizuru gasped, “What happened?! You look exhausted!”

This was the first time she had seen their host in three days, ever since they went to bed after returning from Yukimura village, and the older woman looked almost as though some fiendish yokai had been slowly draining the life from her body during that time. Her face and body looked completely racked with exhaustion, and Chizuru couldn’t help but wonder if the older woman had gotten any sleep at all since they came back from Yukimura village. Honestly, if she and Yamazaki hadn’t always made a point to set some food aside for their host whenever either of them cooked, a part of her might have even wondered if she’d been eating at all these past few days either.

Chizuru frowned at the thought, and asked in a worried tone, “Have you been awake all this time?”

Kinu laughed as she walked over to the worried hanyo girl, an ever present smile still resting on her face, “Oh please don’t worry yourself about that dear, I’m just happy that I was able to finish before you left.”

“Finish what exactly?” She asked, now noticing the neatly folded pile of primarily pink and white cloth in the older woman’s arms.

Beneath her thick glasses, the tanuki’s oak colored eyes lit with excitement once more, as though she had been waiting for that exact question, and she grinned as she held out the folded clothes in her paws to Chizuru. “These are for you dear.” She explained, “These clothes are made from demon silk. I do hope they will keep you safe on your journey.”

Chizuru’s chestnut eyes went wide in shock as she repeated an astonished, “D-demon silk?!” Sharing a look with Yamazaki, who had been quietly watching from the side and was now wearing a similarly surprised expression on his face, before looking back to Kinu and shaking her hands rapidly in front of her body, “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly accept such a luxurious gift!”

Kinu simply pushed the fabric towards her with a small laugh, “Now, now, dear, don’t be absurd. Kazuya-sama had these clothes made for you specifically after all! He would’ve wanted you to have them.”

Chizuru blinked in surprise, “Uncle… Kazuya did…?”

To which the tanuki nodded, and smiled softly, “Yes. Kazuya-sama had me make these clothes from the materials that Minako-sama’s husband had presented to him many years ago in exchange for her hand. He wanted you to have them for the day when you and Kaoru-kun were ready to leave Yukimura village on your own.”

Chizuru instantly recalled the story that her uncle had told her over dinner that night that the village had been attacked— Silk from silkworm yokai that had feasted on the leaves of the vampiric jubokko tree, and woven into clothing even more durable than the strongest of armor… her birth father had risked his life to obtain such a treasure in order to earn the hand of the woman he loved so dearly… and from that material these clothes...

Hesitantly, she reached out and took the folded articles of clothing from the tanuki’s paws. Curiously rubbing the material between her fingers. It was soft and light, but it didn’t feel like silk per-say. The otherworldly texture almost reminded her of what one might think a cloth woven from the waters of a pure mountain stream would feel like; smooth, clean, and slightly cold against her skin from the winter air, with an odd stretch and give when she pulled on it that she hadn’t ever felt in any other fabric before; it almost didn’t feel like something she should be able to hold, yet here it was, woven into physical form in her hands.

A warm smile made its way to her lips as Chizuru pulled the clothing closer to her body, before looking up to Kinu and asking, “Kinu-san, would it be okay for me to try these on?”

The older woman nodded enthusiastically, “Yes, of course, dear, please do!”

Chizuru grinned, and looked at Yamazaki, saying, “Yamazaki-san, please wait a second, I promise I’ll be right back!” before heading into Kinu’s studio to change.

Yamazaki watched as Chizuru disappeared into the other room, with the tanuki woman close behind as she offered to help the girl change into her new clothes.

At the same time, Kaoru exited the bedroom the three of them had been sharing over the course of the past few days. A confused expression donning his face as he watched the two women exit the room, no doubt wondering what all the excitement was about.

“Good morning, Yukimura-kun.” Yamazaki greeted in a neutral voice. 

The hanyo boy looked as though he’d just finished getting dressed himself, his silvery white hair still uncombed after waking up. The moment he noticed Yamazaki’s presence in the room, he scowled bitterly, but didn’t respond.

The ninja thought little of the attitude, used to this behavior by now, and instead took the time to double check his own bag to be sure that he hadn’t overlooked anything.

It was then that the boy asked, “You and Chizuru are leaving today, right?”

“That is the plan, yes.” Yamazaki answered idly, not even bothering to look up. “Speaking of which, you still have my sword, don’t you? I’d like to have that back before we leave, if you would.”

The, “Oh, yeah… right…” that followed sounded distracted, as though the boy’s mind was somewhere else completely.

As he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, Yamazaki closed the bag and turned to face the boy as he stood. Only to let out a gasp of surprise as he was suddenly grabbed by the collar of his black uwagi vest and shoved roughly against the nearby wall.

Yamazaki had barely gotten the sound, “Yu-” out of his mouth before he felt the veiny purple edge of the Dokujin pressed against the tender skin of his neck as the boy hissed, “Shut up!”

“Now you listen here, you rat-tailed bastard—” The younger man growled quietly, as to not alert the two in the other room, “I think that it’s time to put an end to this silly delusion of yours that you’re taking my precious little sister **anywhere**.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kikatsugan- A ninja ration made from ginseng, buckwheat, yam, dried chickweed, adlay, glutinous rice and left to ferment in sake over the course of three years. It was one of the more nutirent rich rations available at the time, and was usually packed by ninja for longer missions that would span over several weeks. Typically a ninja would only need to eat 3-5 of these a day when traveling.
> 
> Hyorogan- small 10mm pills that are 50 calories each, 30 hyorogans typically providing a day's worth of nourishment. They travel well, and 5-7 can give a ninja the minimum amount of energy for a day's worth of travel, but are mostly made of glutinous/non-glutinous rice flour and sugar, and are not very nutritious. As such they are typically only packed for shorter missions.
> 
> Katayaki- "the indestructible ninja ration" hardtack-like rice crackers that can keep for up to 3 months in favorable conditions without spoiling. Considered the backbone of ninja rations on long and short missions alike.
> 
> \---
> 
> Don't worry guys, this fic isn't dead! This was just a hard chapter for me to write—with probably at least 3 complete rewrites for each scene here— and I very stubbornly tried to do too much in one chapter because I wanted to hurry and get to the traveling/action section of the story. However after writing 18k words, I finally decided to cut this into two chapters.
> 
> Luckily though, that does mean chapter 9 should be out fairly quickly after this, since it's mostly done anyway!


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